Granton Middle Pier - The day that yachts were lifted into the water

Looking to the north from the decking in Royal Forth Yacht Club Boat Yard on Middle Pier

This view looks towards the harbour entrance. The modern building is a base for Forth Ports' Pilot Boats.

The older building on Middle Pier is the old gunpowder house, possibly due to be converted into a restaurant.

Comments on the Building in this photograph above
1.	Andy Hall Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England	Dinwoodie & Sons
2.	Patrick Hutton New Town, Edinburgh	Was it Granton Ice Co?
3.	Forbes Wilson near Guildford, Surrey, England	Was it Granton Ice Co?
4.	Patrick Hutton New Town, Edinburgh	Not Granton Ice Co?
5.	Andy Hall Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England	Dinwoodie & Sons
6.	Forbes Wilson near Guildford, Surrey, England	Dinwoodie & Sons
7.	Walter Lyle Hume Cowes, Isle of Wight, England	Aerial View: Dinwoodie & Co AND Granton Ice Co.
8.	Renny Robertson Leith, Edinburgh	Dinwoodie Family
9.	John Dinwoodie Granton	19th Century - Granton Harbour - Piers - Ferry - Cranes 20th Century - Middle Pier Extensions - Gunpowder Houses - Shipping
10.	Daniel Earl with reply from Donald Grant Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland	Tug, Medusa Tug, Medusa - sinking

Comments

Andy Hall

Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England

Thank you to Andy Hall, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England who has been researching the history of trawling from Granton Harbour.

After seeing this photo, Andy wrote:

John Dinwoodie & Sons

"The old building that you describe as the gunpowder house, above, was the base for John Dinwoodie & Sons, sail makers, riggers and ships painters.

The trawlermen's motto for the company was jokingly,

'If it don't move, paint it.'

Dinwoodie also had a small fleet of tugs. Anybody who had anything to do with Granton Harbour will remember them. They used a lot of casual labour, if I recall correctly."

Andy Hall, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England: April 9, 2008

Comments

Patrick Hutton

New Town, Edinburgh

Thank you to Patrick Hutton, Edinburgh, who wrote:

Granton Ice Company

"You describe the old building on the pier as the old gunpowder house and as John Dinwoodie's depot. I'm sure I've seen a photo of it somewhere with 'Granton Ice Company' (or similar) on it."

Patrick Hutton, New Town Edinburgh: April 9, 2008

Hi Patrick:

Granton Ice Company

That's interesting. I remember the Granton Ice Company's building on Middle Pier, but I was not sure which one it was.

When I was at Granton Harbour, last weekend, watching the yachts being lifted into the water, I had a look at the building and asked some old men standing nearby if it used to be the ice works.

They said they thought that the ice works was a little further up Middle Pier on the west side of the pier.

They were the people who told me this was the gunpowder house. I'm now wondering if that's right or not. I asked the men what the gunpowder was needed for but they said they didn't know.

Perhaps somebody will tell me the exact location of the ice works. I know that the company had an ice works on West Shore road and another somewhere on Middle Pier.

- Peter Stubbs: April 10, 2008.

Comments

Forbes Wilson

near Guildford, Surrey, England

Granton Ice Company

Thank you to Forbes Wilson for reminding me that the picture of a Bruce Peebles load on Middle Pier shows the Granton Ice Co Ltd building with its name prominently displayed, in the background.

Is this the same building as in the photo below, taken in April 2008?

©:

Forbes added:

Granton Ice Works
AND
John Dinwoodie & Sons

"I believe Andy Hall (1 above) may be confusing the Granton Ice Company building with John Dinwoodie & Sons, sail makers, riggers and ships painters.

Dinwoodies were in that row of buildings immediately on the left as you came of Granton Square, crossed the railway lines and started to proceed along the middle pier.

I've checked that with my father, and he is sure about the location. My grandfather, John Wilson used to work for for Dinwoodies."

Forbes Wilson, near Guildford, Surrey, England: April 10, 2008.

UPDATE

Please see further comments from Forbes Wilson (6 below) and an aerial view of Granton Harbour (7 below). - Peter Stubbs: April 11, 2008

Comments

Patrick Hutton

New Town, Edinburgh

Patrick Hutton added:

Granton Ice Company

"I'm not so sure.

The Granton Ice Works building in the transformer pic is on the west side of the pier (- you can see a shed beyond it on the right, ie east side) whereas the old building remaining is very much on the east side.

Also, the buildings look a bit different - openings on the first floor - though this may have changed with time?"

Patrick Hutton, New Town Edinburgh: April 9, 2008

Thanks Patrick. So, more research is needed yet!

Comments

Andy Hall

Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England

I think we now have the answer.

Thank you to Andy Hall who replied:

John Dinwoodie & Sons
AND
Granton Ice Works

"Forbes Wilson is correct. Dinwoodie did have premises as he states, but they also used this building as a riggers' workshop.

If you look closely at your 1937 map of Granton harbour you will see the ice factory clearly on the West side and this building adjacent on the East side."

Andy Hall, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England: April 10, 2008

Granton Ice Works

The berth in Granton Western Harbour beside the Granton Ice Company building that Andy mentions is marked 'Ice Berth' on this 1937 map.

- Peter Stubbs: April 11, 2008

Comments

Forbes Wilson

near Guildford, Surrey, England

Thank you to Forbes Wilson who wrote:

Granton Middle Pier

"I believe Patrick Hutton may be correct.

I've been through your site and I believe that the building on the right in these two photos taken in 2002 is the same one as the building as in the photo taken on the 5th April 2008.

2002 2002

Forbes Wilson, near Guildford, Surrey, England: April 11, 2008.

Agreed. It's the same building.

2008

- Peter Stubbs: April 11, 2008

Granton Ice Company

"Whilst very similar in style to the Granton Ice Company building, the current building is indeed on the east side of the middle pier, not the west side where the Granton Ice Company was located.

I suppose the real test would be to do what you recently did with Gilmerton and try and take a photo from the same position as that taken for the Bruce Peebles transformer and see what's there today."

Dinwoodie

"It would appear that we're all in agreement about Dinwoodie - there did use this building as well has having premises just as you came off Granton Square."

Forbes Wilson, near Guildford, Surrey, England: April 11, 2008.

Comments

Walter Lyle Hume

Cowes, Isle of Wight, England

Thank you to Walter Lyle Hume for sending me an aerial view of Granton Harbour that clearly shows both:

- Granton Ice Company building (centre of photo, upper building).

- Dinwoodie's Rigging Loft (centre of photo, lower building).

This is the aerial view that Walter sent:

and the same aerial view with a key added:

Walter wrote:

John Dinwoodie & Sons
AND
Granton Ice Works

"If they hadn't pulled the old place apart, it would be easy to say which was which.

The Ice House was on the West side of Middle Pier, close to edge of Quay, nearly but not quite opposite the building occupied by Dinwoodies Rigging Loft on the East side of Middle Pier. They had only been there since early 1950s.

This photograph clearly shows both buildings.

Lighthouse ship 'Pharos' is still at her original berth which must date the photo to about the early 1970's as it moved to Leith soon after that time."

Andy Hall, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England: April 10, 2008

Comments

Renny Robertson

Leith, Edinburgh

Thank you to Renny Robertson who wrote:

The Dinwoodie Family

"The building being debated in the thread about the Middle Pier was, indeed, Dinwoodie & Sons. It was also known as 'The Loft'.

The company was started by John Dinwoodie after he came down from Benderloch. After his death, the company was run by his sons, Robert and Ali. Another son, Donald, drowned in the Forth in the 1930s.

Sadly Robert also drowned in the Forth with Andrew Garriok in the 1970s, while on business in a terrible storm in his tug Medusa.

His son John kept the building going as long as possible until the reality of running a tug business became unrealistic in the Forth.

I'm sure some people will have a few good stories about Rab Dinwoodie who I was proud to call my godfather."

Renny added:

Granton

"I was brought up in Granton. I was chased off Middle Pier by my uncles on several occasions. I now live in Leith."

Renny Robertson: March 31, 2009

Comments

John Dinwoodie

Granton, Edinburgh

Thank you to John Dinwoodie for telling me more about the history of Granton Harbour, including some of his memories of the two Gunpowder Houses on Granton Middle Pier.

These later became:

- Granton Ice Works and

- Dinwoodie's 'Loft'

John wrote:

19th Century

Granton Harbour

"Granton Harbour was designed and constructed by the Duke of Buccleuch in the Mid-1800s, with a view to offering facilities to handle larger ships which at the time had restricted access to Leith Harbour due to the 'sand bars' at the entrance on the Water of Leith."

Piers

"Works started on the Middle Pier. Two Gunpowder Houses were positioned near the end of the new pier. When the pier was completed, the development progressed to the building of the West Pier which at the time offered a deep water facility for large vessels.

Work continued with the construction of the East Breakwater, which I understand offered vessels a safe berth for lay-up, secured head-to-the-breakwater with a stern-mooring/anchor into the large sheltered East Harbour."

Ferry

"About this time thoughts of a ferry to Burntisland were being considered, including a 'Rail Ferry' on the east side of the Middle Pier at Granton Station.

Railway lines were then continued along the shore and onto the West Pier.

Numerous slipways were constructed within the new Harbour."

Cranes

"When Granton Harbour was built, I believe it was way ahead of its time having, from memory, three large steam heavy-lift cranes. The two on the West Pier are now gone, but the site of the Middle Pier crane can still be seen, just to the south of the Pilot Boats."

20th Century

Middle Pier Extensions

"Middle Pier was extended around 1936. This:

- helped to provide shelter from north-easterly winds for the fishing fleet, berthed on the west side of the Middle Pier.

- allowed a coal bunkering hoist to be built.

The railway was extended along the eastern side of the Middle Pier to supply coal to the hoist. Consequently, the cellar at the 'Loft' had to be back-filled and the 'tunnel' came into being on the west side, which in the photograph can be seen as a roller door."

Gunpowder Houses

"The Gunpowder Houses had a large underground cellars for the storage of gunpowder. At the 'Loft', it would appear that doors had been constructed on the east side of the pier so that in the event of fire, the cellars could be flooded using sea water.

I also saw the cellars of the other Gunpowder House many times in my younger days. I visited it to see the ice making machinery in the lower cellar area and the conveyor belts taking the ice to the brick-built extension on top of the original gunpowder house then on to the trawlers in the Ice Berth."

Shipping

"Granton was the largest importer of Esparto Grass in the world.

Before the construction of Hound Point terminal in the 1970s, the largest oil tanker ever to visit the Forth discharged at Granton.

The passenger liner/troopship 'Monarch of Bermuda' berthed at Granton on her passage to Rosyth in order to have her masts removed and allow her to sail under the Forth Bridge."

John Dinwoodie, Granton, Edinburgh: April 5, 2009

Comments
10.

Daniel Earl

Thank you to Daniel Earl who wrote:

The Tug 'Medusa'

"I am trying to trace the history of the tug MEDUSA, referred to in Renny Robertson's comments (Recollections 8, above).

I took this photo myself in Inverness, some time between 1998 and 2002, I think!

Maybe you might have or know of someone that has a photo of the MEDUSA."

Daniel Earl: November 5, 2009

Please click on the thumbnail image above to enlarge it, and to read a little more about the tug's history, from 1952 to 1994.

If you have any more information about the tug, Medusa, or know of any other photos of MEDUSA, please email me, then I'll pass on the news to Daniel. Thank you.

Peter Stubbs: November 5, 2009

Comments 10

Reply

Donald Grant

Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland

Thank you to Donald Grant for sending more information about the tug 'Medusa'. Donald remembers the day that she sank in the Firth of Forth.

Donald wrote:

The Tug 'Medusa'

Sinking

"The Medusa foundered on Friday 13 December, 1974.

At the time I lived in Grierson Gardens and one of my friends at the time was Robbie Dinwoodie, son of John Dinwoodie Snr who owned the tug.

The tug had been called out to assist in the rescue of someone who had become stranded on Cramond Island.

John Dinwoodie Snr was in the wheelhouse of the tug when she went down, and lost his life.

I always thought it quite spooky that the tug was called Medusa and foundered on Friday 13th!"

Donald Grant, Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland