Hidden down an alley in one of Edinburgh's most upmarket suburbs lies a Wild West-style ghost town. The secretive street is so hard to find that most Morningside residents are unaware of its existence.
It was created more than 30 years ago by a cowboy enthusiast to advertise his furniture company, but was abandoned a decade later after the firm went bust. The facades for a jail, a general store, ticket office and a cantina still survive, although the old railway station did not.
Now the tiny units are home to a small community of tradespeople. Nicola Ramzan, 45, an office manager for PR Motor Engineers, said: 'It feels like you're in a film set, it is a very different place to work, that's for sure.' She added: 'Not a lot of people know about it. When people do come down here they ask what it is and I explain the story.'
The street, also known as El Paso, is in a lane off Springvalley Gardens. The facade was designed by Michael Faulkner, son of Lord Faulkner, the last prime minister of Northern Ireland. Michael had been living in North America as a cowboy when he fell from his horse and injured his back. Unable to continue riding, he moved to Scotland and opened a store called Pine Country in the lane.
Tom Frankish, 75, who has owned Lawnmower Services in the lane since 1974, recalled that the business thrived until an Ikea store opened on the outskirts of Edinburgh at the end of 1999. 'Shoppers stopped coming overnight and he went bankrupt,' he said. Josh Forrester, 43, who owns a carpentry business, added: 'Even if you walk down Springvalley Gardens you wouldn't see it. You have to know it's here.'
