Maps
and
Plans
Early Plans for a Harbour at Granton
Several proposals were made in the early-19th century to
build a harbour on the Duke of Buccleuch's land at Granton.
1.
Here is a proposal from
1834, not very different
in design, but considerably
smaller than the harbour that was actually built a few years
later.
This plan also shows proposals for
railways:
- one to the east, through a tunnel, to Leith.
- one to the south to link with the Union Canal
at Fountainbridge
1834 Plan
One of several proposals to build a harbour at
Granton

©
Reproduced with acknowledgement to Buccleuch Estates and to
Argyll Publishing
2.
My favourite proposal was one named
'Granton Made Magnificent'
(Register House Plan RHP9477) drawn up possibly
around 1830.
It includes the following, all marked out on the plan:
-
Eastern Harbour, Western Harbour, 2 inner docks, 2 outer
docks, 2 further docks.
- Naval
Yard with Powder Store, Naval Barracks, Naval Warehouse and Naval
Hospital.
-
Railway Station with railways to Queensferry and Cramond, Leith
and Edinburgh
- Canal
Basin linked to the Union Canal at Fountainbridge and a Coach
Stand
-
Markets for Flesh, Poultry, Fish, Vegetable, Fruit, Produce and
Coal.
- Town
Hall, Bank, Counting Houses, Custom House, Consulate Offices
- Post
Office, Shipping Offices, Shops and Arcade.
- Bonded
Warehouses, Storehouses, Timber Stores, Preserving Works and
Sawmill.
-
Grazing Parks, Stables, Horse Bazaar and Abattoir.
-
Bakeries, Barmeries, Breweries, and other Manufactories
- Hotels,
Inns, Taverns, Coffee Houses, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Class Dwelling Houses
- Six
Lighthouses, an Ornamental Fountain with Rude Light in the
centre.
_____________________________________
Granton Harbour
This is a plan showing the harbour that was built at
Granton.
- The Act of Parliament to build Granton Harbour
received Royal Assent from King William IV on April 21,
1837
- Work began on building the harbour almost immediately.
- The first part of the harbour, Middle Pier,
opened on Queen Victoria's Coronation Day, June 28,
1838.
- Queen Victoria visited the harbour on September 1,
1842.
- This plan, shows the harbour as it was in
1937, including the slipways, jetties and wharfs.
- The plan also
shows the position of the railway lines and gives details of the
cranes in
use in the harbour.

©
Reproduced with acknowledgement to Buccleuch Estates and to
Argyll Publishing
_____________________________________
Aerial Views
Here are four aerial views:, looking down on:
1. Granton
Harbour:
early-1970s
2. Granton
Harbour:
early-1970s - with key
3. Granton
Middle Pier:
Around 1978
4. Granton
Harbour,
Gas Works
and
Housing: 2001
1.
Early-1970s
Aerial View

©
Reproduced by courtesy of Scotsman
Publications. Click here
for web site details.
2.
Early-1970s
Aerial View with key

©
Reproduced by courtesy of Scotsman
Publications. Click here
for web site details.
3.
Around
1978
Aerial View of the end of
Middle Pier, Granton Harbour

Reproduced with acknowledgement to
John Dinwoodie, Granton, Edinburgh.
© Robb
& Campbell Harper Studios Ltd
4.
2001
Granton Gas Works, Harbour and Housing
Industry vanishing - Granton
Western Harbour now partly infilled

©
Copyright: XYZ Digital Map Company Limited.
Click here for details of web site.
_____________________________________
Here we look at some recent proposed developments
for Granton Waterfront:
5. Forthside
Proposals (2005):
Granton Harbour
6. Waterfront
Proposals (2001): Granton
+ surrounding area
7. Waterfront
Proposals (2001): Granton
- boundaries
8. Waterfront
Proposals (2001):
Granton - landmarks
Here are Forth Ports' plans for the development
of Granton Harbour, published in 2005
as part of their Forthside Master Plan for the waterside at Granton and Leith.
To date, very little of this land has been
developed.
5.
Proposals (2005)
Forth Ports' Plans for development of Granton
Harbour

©
Forth Ports PLC See web site www.forthports.co.uk
for fuller details of the Masterplan.
_____________________________________
6.
Proposals (2001)
Waterfront at Granton and surrounding area

©
Copyright: XYZ Digital Map Company Limited.
Click here for details of web site.
7.
Proposals (2001)
Waterfront at Granton - Boundary
Roads + Gypsy Brae

©
Copyright: XYZ Digital Map Company Limited.
Click here for details of web site.
8.
Proposals (2001)
Waterfront at Granton
- Landmakrs

Since the proposals for development of
the Waterfront (above) were drawn up
in 2001:
- 2 of the 3
gasholders at Granton
Gasworks have been demolished.
- a new
Forthquarter Park has
been created to the south of the gasholders.
- new developments have been built
for:
-
Edinburgh's Telford College
-
Morrison's Supermarket
and Petrol Station
-
Scottish Gas HQ
-
housing, but only a small
proportion of what was envisaged has been built.
- a new road,
Waterfront Avenue has
been built between the new Scottish Gas HQ and the old lighthouse on
West Harbour Road.
- Waterfront Avenue has been
landscaped for trams, but
the proposals to run trams to Granton seem unlikely to proceed in the
foreseeable future.
- The slow pace of progress has
been caused partly by the
recession.
- The
owners of the Waterfront
land, Forth Ports PLC have been taken over. The new owners appear
to have also taken an interest in developments other than housing: in
particular, further industrial developments at Leith Harbour.
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