Cables Wynd House

The famous Leith 'Banana Flats'

Cables Wynd House, better known as the Leith Banana Flats^[1][2] or as the Banana Block^[3] because of its curved shape, is a nine storey local authority housing block in Leith, Edinburgh. The building, in fact, has ten storeys. The ground floor is called Cables Wynd and the nine floors above constitute Cables Wynd House. This often leads to confusion in postal and other services. Communal heating and other energy measures have recently been installed by City of Edinburgh Council.

History

First occupied in 1962, for many families, the complex offered a welcome improvement over the overcrowding and slum housing conditions that were still common problems at the time.^[4] In the 1980s, Cables Wynd House gained a notorious reputation as a haven for drug pushers and users during the heroin epidemic. In fact, Cables Wynd House was considered the centre of the epidemic.

Design

It contains 203 flats, which have a 24-hour concierge service, situated on the ground floor, and CCTV coverage. Most of the properties use deck access, but the ground floor flats are accessed via individual front doors. These properties are preferentially allocated to older people. All but five of the flats remain in public ownership as of 2015.^[5]

Use in fiction

In Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting, the flats were the childhood home of the character Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson.

In 2007, the block was used during filming of Wedding Belles, which was also created by Irvine Welsh.

References

Coordinates: 55°58′27″N 3°10′25″W / 55.97417°N 3.17361°W / 55.97417; -3.17361