Pilton is a residential area of northern
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. It is to the north of
Ferry Road, immediately east of
Muirhouse, and to the west and south of
Granton (the Boswall, Royston Mains and Wardieburn neighbourhoods).
Description
Sometimes considered to be part of the larger neighbouring area of Granton, Pilton consists of two housing schemes - West Pilton and East Pilton. These neighbourhoods, particularly West Pilton, are regarded as among the most economically deprived areas in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
and suffer from high crime rates and
anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviours, sometimes called dissocial behaviours, are actions which are considered to violate the rights of or otherwise harm others by committing crime or nuisance, such as stealing and physical attack or noncriminal behaviours s ...
especially young joyriders stealing powerful motorbikes and cars, or otherwise damaging vehicles.
Most of West Pilton was formerly social housing constructed by the council between the 1930s and 1950s (with a hiatus during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
) but now these properties are largely privately owned. The housing mostly takes the form of
maisonettes and three storey blocks of flats. There are also two 1960s ten-storey
tower blocks (Inchcolm Court and Inchgarvie Court) and one with 16 storeys (Northview Court). In addition, new housing developments have been built by the private sector and the area is currently undergoing revitalisation. There are local shops and community services.
Built on the lands of East Pilton Farm in the 1930s by
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
-based builder Mactaggart & Mickel to a street layout by the Edinburgh City Architect
Ebenezer James MacRae, the streets of East Pilton mainly take various names beginning Crewe or Pilton. The original estate comprises mostly
four-in-a-block flatted villas similar to those by the same builder at
Carrick Knowe, Colinton Mains and elsewhere in the city as well as in several districts of
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
. Streets in a new development on the site of the demolished
Bruce Peebles & Co. Ltd. engineering works (destroyed by fire in 1999)
Bruce Peebles Transformer Factory Fire
EdinPhoto take the East Pilton Farm name.
Sport
Spartans F.C. are based in the area, playing off Pilton Drive at Ainslie Park since 2008; a public leisure centre of the same name is immediately adjacent to the ground. Their previous home City Park was two blocks to the south-east – housing now occupies the site.
Demographics
References
External links
*
{{Areas of Edinburgh
Areas of Edinburgh
Housing estates in Edinburgh