11 photos of Leith's ‘banana flats’, immortalised in Trainspotting and given A-list heritage status
Immortalised in Irvine Welsh’s novel Trainspotting, Leith’s ‘banana flats’ are an iconic part of Edinburgh architecture and history – and have even become a Category A listed building.
Cables Wynd House, which dates back to 1965, earned its nickname due to its distinctive curved shape.
It is now rated one of Scotland’s finest post-war buildings.
The “special architectural importance” of the block of flats – the childhood home of Simon “Sick Boy” Williamson in Trainspotting – was cited by Historic Environment Scotland in 2017 due to its “groundbreaking design”.
Now, the "Brutalist" building is rated alongside the likes of Edinburgh Castle, the Forth Road Bridge, the Royal Commonwealth Pool and the 1967 glasshouses at the Royal Botanic Garden.
Take a look through our picture gallery to see how the ‘banana flats’ have changed, and stayed the same, down the decades.
1. Banana flats
Cables Wynd House, better known as the Leith Banana Flats or as the Banana Block because of its curved shape, is a nine story local authority block in Leith, Edinburgh.
Photo: Santiago Arribas Pena
2. Aerial shot
View of the flats being built at Cables Wynd in Leith, May 1965
Photo: Aerial shot
3. Being built
Here you can see the new flats being built at Cables Wynd as part of the redevelopment of Leith in January 1966
Photo: George Stewart
4. Playing by the flats
Children playing in a park in Henderson Gardens, Leith. Cables Wynd Banana Flats in the background.
Photo: Denis Straughan