(Image: anotherview, reproduced with permission)
Aside from images conjured of the notorious Highland Clearances of the 18th and 19th centuries, forgotten towns and ghost villages are more closely associated with the Wild West than the British Isles. But the abandoned village of Polphail in the Argyll region of Scotland is a rare and fascinating exception, and has even attracted the attention of urban artists and documentary filmmakers.
(Images: anotherview, reproduced with permission)
Polphail was built during the early 1970s as accomodation for around 500 workers at a local oil platform construction yard in Portavadie. But the project was doomed from the outset. Despite the UK oil boom of the 1970s, the yard was not completed and the houses were never occupied, instead falling into ruin over the years.
(Images: anotherview, reproduced with permission)
Numerous proposals to revitalise the ghost village failed to attract sponsors, but the BBC reported in June 2009 that Polphail was finally set to be demolished. Site owner Alan Bradley said that within a year demolition would clear the area for 270 new homes, but the project could take five to ten years to complete.
(Images: anotherview, reproduced with permission)
Local photographer Philippa Elliott documented the ghost village in a series of photographs, which included a rack of forgotten door keys hanging on a wall. Local lore added to Polphail’s sense of mystery, with locals divided over the site’s original purpose. Some said it was built as a military base similar to Faslane, while others suggested alternative uses.
(Images: Paul Birrell (left, right), cc-sa-3.0)
In October 2009, six street artists known as Agents of Change decorated Polphail’s battered walls prior to demolition. Glasgow photographer and documentary filmmaker Brian Cumming took a trip to the ghost village in June 2010 to document its condition and atmosphere since the urban art project.
(Images: anotherview, reproduced with permission)
In his documentary Eroded Lifes – The Story of Polphail, Cumming concluded that not much had changed: “Polphail is still very much derelict with not much happened over the last few years, it still really is a dark and gloomy mysterious yet fascinating place, especially for creative people such as myself.”
For our latest articles, subscribe to our feed or have them sent to your inbox (see email sign-up in right sidebar). You can also connect with us via Facebook and/or Twitter. If you enjoyed this article, please spread the word via StumbleUpon, Digg and Reddit, or your social media platform of choice.
