Ghostly Tracks?

Have you walked along the Water of Leith Walkway when the ground has dried out but rain has fallen recently? If so, you might have seen the “ghost” image left by the former railway line and the sleepers that supported it.

The rain soaks into the softer ground, but not into the ground that was compressed by nearly 100 years of trains.

You may also have walked, run, cycled or ridden through Colinton Tunnel. If so, you will have noticed that it is becoming dark and forbidding with increasing amounts of antisocial graffiti.

That is set to change, as the Colinton Tunnel project plans to create a major mural inside the tunnel, providing a visual record of the railway that once ran there and celebrating the heritage of the local communities.

LOOKING BACK:

If you grew up near the Caledonian Railway Company’s Balerno Branch Line you might remember the Balerno Pug railway engine and stations at Hailes Halt, Colinton,

Juniper Green, Currie and Balerno. Local pubs still display photographs of the line, which opened in 1874 to serve the 70-plus mills powered by the Water of Leith.

The local villages were tiny, with populations of 200 or less. Mill owners, many living locally, faced long horseback rides to reach their offices in Edinburgh but the railway, with a 15-minute journey from Princes Street Station (aka the Caley Station) – now the Caledonian Hotel – meant that they could pop home for lunch.

Our communities were well outside Edinburgh, but city-dwellers soon discovered that a short train journey provided a lovely day out. The line was called “the picnic line” because of the number of church communities that used it to take parishioners away from the smoke and grime of central Edinburgh to the fresh air and greenery of the countryside. That link between urban and rural arguably catalysed the development of today’s thriving residential communities.

The advent of buses on paved roads meant that passenger services ceased in 1943. Freight services and occasional passenger “specials” continued until 4th December 1967, when engines and rolling stock were scrapped; lines, sleepers and other fixtures were removed, and the tunnel was closed.

The creation of the Water of Leith Walkway in the late 1970s saw the tunnel re-opened, paved and lit. The smoke-blackened walls and ceiling were painted as part of Edinburgh District Council’s Special Measures Programme, giving school leavers skills to help them get jobs. Ian Temple and Charlotte Cottingham, the Landscape Architects who managed much of the programme, created a simple mural along the 158-metre tunnel in 1980 - featuring the Balerno Pug near the western end. Their mural transformed the tunnel and recorded its heritage. Now, sadly, time and casual graffiti mean that it has almost vanished.

The 1980s mural

LOOKING FORWARD:

A group of residents has spent two years developing plans to transform the tunnel, restoring the 1980 image of the Balerno Pug and drawing on Colinton’s rich history to create a lasting record of the railway’s influence on our community. Almost 160 metres of space on each wall gives plenty of room to tell the story of the railway and its links with Colinton’s wider history. Our website, www.colintontunnel.org. uk, describes the strands of history on which we hope to draw and how we plan to proceed.

A brighter and safer environment will enhance public safety. There is also strong evidence that casual graffitists will respect the outcome and not be tempted to leave their own marks. Our friends at City of Edinburgh Council have already agreed to upgrade the tunnel lighting to LEDs, which will produce a brighter, more even light. A dark, slightly scarey tunnel can become attractive, interesting and welcoming. The completed mural will also attract visitors, who will need to use our shops, pubs, cafes and other local facilities.

Now a charity, the project will create Scotland’s largest historic and underground mural, celebrating the area’s industrial, social, literary, artistic and military history. We plan to involve as many of our community as possible, particularly young people, in developing the design and painting the mural.

Consultation and engagement events start soon and run until Spring. You will be welcome to consider what elements of history might be included and how they might be portrayed. We then plan to have an exhibition of the first-stage design ideas so that everyone can see what is planned.

A professional artist will develop the overall image but there will be space within it for “mini-murals”, developing an interpretation of particular events or individuals from the rich fabric of our history. Two of those mini-murals will be by the children whose entries won our “Paint the Pug” competition.

We expect to be putting paint on the walls from late Spring next year. Before that, a great deal of work is needed to ensure that we produce a truly relevant piece of work that is both historically accurate and genuinely high quality. Meeting those criteria means that the tunnel art should become a destination in its own right – as well as a record-breaker.

Fundraising is beginning. Creating a high quality, relevant, long-lasting artwork requires a professional heritage interpreter and top muralists; materials that will safeguard the tunnel’s brickwork, and plans to protect and maintain the finished mural. That costs money, and we are applying to a wide range of funding agencies, charitable trusts, corporate sponsors and the local community. Do you want a lasting memory of a friend or relative? Sponsoring a section of the mural could be the way to have their picture incorporated into the mural.

Visit our website, “Like” us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to see the really big picture!

This article was contributed by Mike Scott of the Colinton Tunnel Mural Project. www.colintontunnel.org.uk.The Colinton Tunnel is a Scottish Charity, SC048476.