Tag: Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden

Forth Neighbourhood Partnership to meet on 3 February

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Forth Neighbourhood Partnership Public Meeting

Wednesday 3 February, 2pm

West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre 

Come along and hear about: 

Plans for the improvement of West Pilton Park 

  • Increasing the use of the park for physical activity
  • Improving the park environment
  • Improving people’s perception of the park

The Neighbourhood Environment Programme Fund (NEPs)

  • A presentation on some of the projects carried out locally to improve our open spaces.
  • How you can get involved in identifying future projects.

Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden Group

  • A presentation on Granton’s ‘forgotten’ walled garden – dating from Jacobean times.
  • Proposals from local people to safeguard and restore the garden.

There will also be a short period at the start of the meeting for Neighbourhood Partnership business. For further information contact Jim Pattison, 529 5082 – jim.pattison@edinburgh.gov.uk

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Growing hope for Walled Garden

Good news for Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden

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Hi everyone,
Some startling news has been confirmed by the planning department: Waterfront Edinburgh Limited have officially withdrawn their 2003 planning application to build inside the Walled Garden (writes Kirsty Sutherland)!
Some of you will have heard this miraculous news already as committee members, but I felt this news had to be confirmed by the planning department before sharing with everyone.

Continue reading Growing hope for Walled Garden

New Year, new deadline for Granton Castle Walled Garden

Hi folks,
The urban detectives have been busy over the new year and uncovered a bit of hidden history: namely Granton Castle’s ancient monument files from 1920, which were ‘sealed’ for 50 years by the mysterious Ministry of Works (writes Kirsty Sutherland)!

Continue reading New Year, new deadline for Granton Castle Walled Garden

December update from Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden

Friends
Our first ever AGM was well attended on a dreich night and we hope to send out a goodwill message and a thank you to all of those that have supported the Friends Group this year in helping raise awareness of it’s magical story and campaign for its protection (writes Kirsty Sutherland).

Continue reading December update from Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden

Friends to hold first AGM

A year of growth for Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden

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Hi folks,
I can’t believe it has been a year, and it is time to take stock of the year’s events and achievements, and look forward to what we could do together.
  • Latest news, chance to discuss ideas and ask questions, and find out about events upcoming with our Scotland’s Urban Past project being supported by Historic Environment Scotland.
  • Apples and a few other surprises from Eve’s Apple Shack!
Hope to see you at our upcoming AGM – help us raise awareness of our campaign to save the last of Scotland’s Lost Gardens.
Kirsty Sutherland, Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden

 

Working together to save Walled Garden

Update from our first events with Historic Environment Scotland (HES) this October:
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Friends Group members and supporters have begun working with support from the Scotland’s Urban Past team, to investigate and share the story of the ‘secret’ garden (writes Kirsty Sutherland).

Continue reading Working together to save Walled Garden

Walled Garden: day of action

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A reminder that tomorrow afternoon (Friday 23 October) we have a day of outdoor action planned between 2 – 5pm (writes Kirsty Sutherland).
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Thanks to the support from Historic Environment Scotland and the Scotland’s Urban Past team ,we are having a gathering arranged tomorrow outside the walled garden to do some surveying and mapping of the area.
We can find the spot where a 2nd century Roman find was made and where the old castle once stood.
  • GPS mapping techniques will be shown to a group of the members.
  • A gazebo with a display of our sustainable gardening ideas , fliers, old pictures of the garden and grounds (depending on the wind!)
About 14 people so far want to take part in the training, and this would be an ideal day to come along and find out where the garden is!
  • Meet some of the Friends Group members who have been actively campaigning to Save Granton’s ‘forgotten’ Walled Garden.
  • Find out where the new door and steps could go in.
  • Ask questions, add ideas!
A wee treasure map is attached (below) if you don’t know where the walled garden is. The ‘green bit’ with the cycletrack is where we are gathering tomorrow afternoon.
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Walled garden group takes steps (and may just build some too!)

Last week seven of the ‘Action Group’ got together outside the walled garden for some serious discussions, following on from the recent positive meeting with developers EDI Ltd (writes KIRSTY SUTHERLAND).

Site meeting Aug 11th (1)

How to get steps up this steep slope & understanding where the castle used to be!

Many trees have covered the quarry site where Granton Castle stood until 1926, and the ground level is a lot lower than it used to be.

What we chatted about at this site visit:
  • Possible temporary access point to the walled garden back door, still in working order but at the top of a wooded embankment.
  • Access and horticultural use proposal, ‘Heads of terms’, is to be put forward to EDI on behalf of the Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden.
(KS to circulate license proposal to committee members for discussion as soon as draft available)
  • We hope to begin work in earnest with the RCAHMS through ‘Scotland’s Urban Past’ by the end of October at the latest. Scotland’s Lost Gardens
Surveys of the listed walls & garden are needed urgently, before any clearance work and restoration could begin.
Finally a thank you to Anne Hamilton of Lothian Life for publishing an awareness-raising article on our behalf. See Granton’s Secret Garden
Castle doocot with chimney and pump, gardeners bothy in Cockburn's time
Our next General Meeting is open to all – hope you can make it!
Thursday 10 September, 6-7.30 pm
Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, Pilton Drive North
Agenda so far…
  • Stairway to the garden door! When could we start, initial funding?
  • Community Shares Scotland guest speaker – presentation & questions answered on how this could work. A short film was forwarded to explain the basics Community Shares animation
  • Ideas for the first couple of years, if we get in! Archaeological digs? CSA? Heritage Orchard project?
Please get in touch if you are coming along, seating for 20, or send in any questions or ideas if you can’t make it.

Sharing Granton’s secret garden?

‘Save our Secret Garden’ community campaign reaches climax on July 29th!

Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden 2

You may have heard of Granton Castle Walled Garden, but still not know where it is: that it is kept locked up and no-one can enter, or that it is still at risk from a luxury housing development (writes Kirsty Sutherland)!

At the end of this month the Friends Group campaign to safeguard and restore the walled garden will reach a crucial point.

On 29 July the council planners will make a final decision on the 2004 Waterfront Edinburgh Limited application; ‘minded to grant’ for demolition of parts of the walled garden to make way for 17 townhouses.

Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden hope they decide to refuse the 2004 application, instead allowing a chance of the listed garden’s restoration for community use.

Hundreds of local people have made their views known through petitions, representations and deputations to the city council, community councils and other organisations over the last year.

Historic Scotland visited the walled garden this spring and after reviewing the research compiled, concluded that it merits B-listing. Much older than previously thought, infact the oldest undeveloped walled garden in Edinburgh!

So what will happen if the council decide in favour of the historic garden being protected and restored at the end of this month?

  • Raising funds for a future community buyout was discussed at our last two Friends Group meetings.

  • Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill news is good for community groups like ours, interested in taking on the responsibility for a bit of our historic environment on the waterfront.

– Community Shares? – One idea to let local people own a bit of the walled garden and take part in planning and decisions on its future.

One share = one vote

Would you want to help save the garden if we could buy it?

Buy a share in the garden at £10 per share?

Get in touch or come along to a Friends Group Meeting if you want to hear more, ask questions or get involved.

grantoncastlegardengroup@gmail.com

Next meeting on ‘Ideas for the Garden’ in mid-August, date tbc.

Friends of Granton Castle Garden | ‘Forgotten’ Walled Garden