Mystery surrounds pencil sharpeners spotted around Portobello

The sharpeners have been dotted around for a couple of years | Freelance

An eagle-eyed resident out on his daily exercise has piqued the interest of thousands on social media after he spotted pencil sharpeners attached to walls around Portobello.

James Puchowski was walking by Portobello promenade when he spotted a pencil sharpener attached to the wall with a yellow sign above which read: “Provided for your convenience by the Portobello Pencil Sharpening Project”.

The images which have now racked up hundreds of thousands of responses have been dubbed both ‘genius’ and ‘useless’ in equal measure, but little is known about where they appeared from or who was responsible for putting them up.

It is believed that the Portobello Pencil Sharpening Project is an art installation and has been a Portobello oddity for two to three years.

While some have questioned the point of the sharpeners, others have commented that they may come in useful for sketchers spending time at the beach.

One user, @Porty_Edinburgh commented: “It’s a Portobello thing, it’s impossible to explain it properly to an outsider.”

Do you know why the pencil sharpeners appeared in Portobello? LEt us know by getting in touch on Facebook, Twitter or by emailing [email protected]