Polphail, Portavadie (abandoned village) - July 2010

[JEP27]

Polphail was a legacy of the Scottish oil boom of the 1970s. A series of dry docks were built at that time around the Scottish coast for building giant concrete oil rigs, and Polphail was built next to one of these to house the expected workers. But the workers never came – the technology changed, and when it comes down to it, this dock and village were built on the west coast of Scotland, and all the oil is off the Eastern coast. The government has long since sold off the dock, which has recently been redeveloped into a marina, having served time as a fish farm. The unused village has changed hands several times, and has had a long and unhappy history of promised demolitions which have never been carried out. The latest demolition was cancelled because the buildings have become home to a bat colony.

Last year a group of 6 graffiti artists asked for permission to paint Polphail, there story can be seen here :- http://vimeo.com/8207410

I have seen other reports on the village and people didn't seem to have enjoyed their explore round it very much, but I thought it was a really nice relaxed explore and although the accomodation blocks are all the same (varying degrees of destruction according to how much undergrowth has to be fought through) there was quite a lot to see. I think the graffiti artists have added to the experience. I would love to go back again sometime.

Anyway some pics:-



Welcome, grab your keys and I'll take you for a look round before taking you to your room.





I'm sure you'll love your visit here we have all the mod cons...
Here's the washateria...







Oh, there's one of the residents... They all keep themselves to themselves, we never hear a peep out of them.



We have state of the art kitchens areas where all the food is prepared and cooked.



And here is the dining area...









With a fantastic view over the bay



Everyone works hard here, so the bar area is the ideal place to wind down and relax on an evening.



We are known to have quite an active social life



Although some people have been known to have one over the eight now and again

[JEP27]

Now if you step this way I'll show you to your accomodation



Your flat is in the block on the left, we like to think of ourselves as being like a big, happy family



We have a communal area in each block







We also have in-house cleaners



Careful as you come up the stairs





Through the door



and down the corridor



and here is your room, I hope you will be comfortable





Sleep tight



Thanks for looking

http://s614.photobucket.com/albums/t...EP27/Polphail/