Lost Edinburgh turntable is uncovered by archaeologists
THE turntable pit at the former St Margaret’s locomotive shed and works has been literally unearthed thanks to Edinburgh City Council archaeologists.
Dating from 1846, when the North British Railway opened St Margaret’s alongside its line from Edinburgh to Berwick-upon-Tweed, the brick-lined pit was in use supporting the depot’s turntable until the shed, which straddled the East Coast Main Line, was closed in 1967.
In its first 20 years, St Margaret’s Works built locomotives for the NBR, before the company opened its Cowlairs Works in Glasgow, and, after closure by BR, with the end of steam, the St Margaret’s site was bulldozed, obliterating all traces of its railway heritage – or so it was believed.
Now, with a low-carbon, affordable mixed ownership and tenure residential development planned for the site, Edinburgh City Council and AOC archaeologists have carried out excavations at St Margaret’s, resulting in the discovery of the turntable pit and other steam-era artefacts. The council is working with developers to explore the possibility of the turntable pit being conserved and retained as a feature of the new housing development to ensure that the area’s railway past is not forgotten.
Coun James Meagher, the city’s housing, homelessness, and fair work convener, said: “Council officers are working with local people to look at how we might memorialise some of the findings.
“They hope to be able to keep the turntable pit on show and create a focal point for residents moving into the 675 homes being built on the site for sale and rent.”
City archaeologist John Lawson said: “The remains of the engine turntable are a rare survival and take us back to the beginnings of our Victorian railways in the 1840s.
“The turntable was in use until the closure of the depot in 1967, and our work with AOC archaeology will help us not only understand both the development of the structure but will also give us a window into the day-to-day hard work of railway engineers during the days of steam.
“In its heyday, more than 200 steam locomotives would have used the shed and yard daily and the site would have employed a large number of railway staff, many of whom would have lived locally.”
North British Railway Study Group secretary John Wilson added: “We have been very pleased to have worked on this project with the council. The unearthing of the turntable is a remarkable discovery recalling 120 years of railway history on the St Margaret’s site.”
The city council opened the site to the public on August 27 to show the work of the railway archaeologists at first-hand.