Yesterday, as part of my new job with Granton Goes Greener, I visited Granton Hub, a volunteer run community project with a real environmental ethos!
There is a wonderful garden space behind the building, with space to grow vegetables and woven willow shelters
and a wildflower nursery.
The Hub sells wildflowers and has supplied Butterfly Conservation and others with plants for their projects.
Edinburgh Scrap Store is also based here, though it was shut when I was there
Granton Hub is based in the original office building of the Maldevic Motor Carriage Company which in 1899 was manufacturing electric cars!
This aspect of the history of the site is reflected in the occasional events held at the Hub that focus on the history of cars and alternative transport. The car factory itself is now derelict (the building can be seen in the background in the photo below).
The Granton Hub Garden is one of three Granton community gardening projects that are involved in the Power of Food Festival, which is happening across Edinburgh on 16 and 17 June. The other local gardens taking part are Granton Community Gardeners and Granton Castle Garden. The Hub Garden will be making an Iron Age Boat as part of the power of Food Festival, the boat will be built in this space
and then launched into the nearby Firth of Forth. Once the boat has been built, the area will probably be turned into a wildlife area. As I stood there, several goldfinches were flying around and white butterflies too.
The garden is already very set up for wildlife, I really like the way that the ant hill has been marked out to protect the ants and their home.
That's a fantastic project. Wish we had that here.
ReplyDeleteNice!!!
ReplyDeleteFascinating that electric cars were being made back then - and in Scotland, which has a reputation for technical innovation.
ReplyDeleteI'll add that factory to the small but growing list of curiosities I'd like to see some time when I'm in Scotland (top of the list is a modern deserted village near Glasgow).
Hi Sackerson, you'll be interested then in the abandoned film set in the middle of Edinburgh that was once used to film Westerns,,,
ReplyDeleteWow! That sounds like a really neat place.
ReplyDeleteHow encouraging to see finches and butterflies! I just love that communities are really getting into the green movement and providing spaces for people to garden and get together. Marvelous!
ReplyDelete