Wild West Town Edinburgh – Hidden cowboy street

If you happen to be in the Morningside area of Edinburgh, take a detour behind the library on the main road to inspect this bizarre, Wild-West-inspired street. Still widely unknown to a lot of Edinburgh’s locals, the mini town was originally built as a way of advertising a furniture store. The story goes that one of the design team had previously worked on the sets at Disneyland Paris, which explains the detail and quirky touches.

Artists and other craftspeople were encouraged to let some of the units on the street, abandoning Edinburgh’s cobbled roads and castle views for a studio that would make John Wayne proud. The row boasts all the usual vendors you’d expect to see in the old Wild West: a jail, cantina, trading station and, of course, a saloon. Keeping up with developments, the cantina is now the fire door for the Morningside library!

Built in the mid-nineties, the street is now looking a little worse for wear. The furniture store eventually went out of business and a lot of the traders cleared out. For some, the American ghost town-style feel that this has conjured only adds to the novelty.

If you’re in the neighbourhood, grab your chaps and mosey on down for a peek.