Most photographed street 'wrecked' by vandals, say shopkeepers

BBC News

3 days ago

Shopkeepers on Scotland's most photographed street say it has been "wrecked" after vandals covered stonework and shop fronts in graffiti.One owner said he was shocked at the "unprecedented scale" of the damage after at least 10 shops on Victoria Street in Edinburgh's Old Town had graffiti tags sprayed on their windows, stone walls and doors at the weekend.The street's colourful buildings, cobblestone pavement, and curved layout make it a popular setting for tourists and influencers to photograph.Police Scotland said inquiries were ongoing into the incident at the street often cited as an inspiration for the fictional Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling lived in Edinburgh when she was writing the popular series.The street, which links George IV bridge and the Grassmarket, is claimed as the inspiration for the alley where wizards bought their magical supplies.Andrew McRae, who owns three shops in Victoria Street including Museum Context, which sells officially licensed Harry Potter products, said he was shocked at the "unprecedented scale" of the vandalism over the weekend.
"I've been doing business in the Old Town for a number of years and I've never seen anything on this kind of scale before with one street being so badly targeted and damaged," he said."Victoria Street is one of the most picturesque and beautiful streets in the city if not Scotland and a great deal of time and effort is spent by the independent business owners to keep it in that condition."So to come in to work and see this trail of destruction - I was very shocked and it was very demoralising."Mr McRae added: "It seems to me there are no consequences or there is no sense that people will be held accountable for what they are doing."He said something needed to be done as visitors and locals "shouldn't have to see the city wrecked with such impunity".
John Bowman, owner of the Cuttea Sark in Victoria Street, said he had never seen vandalism on this scale in the 28 years he had been running his business in the street."I was annoyed like everyone else would be when I saw the graffiti," the 76-year-old said."I've had to buy paint to cover it up as it won't clean off."It's not good for tourism. The authorities should do something about it but they won't."
Tom Kerry, who works in both Walker Slater clothing shops in the street, said it was "absolutely mindless vandalism"."It's ugly and looks like someone is trying to mark their territory," he said."We're a nice shop, we've been here since 1989 and a family-run business, so I didn't expect to come into work and see this. "We're a nice street and like to keep things looking good."
Part of the graffiti attack at the weekend saw the 900-year-old St Giles' Cathedral targeted as well as other monuments and stone buildings in the Old Town - which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.Brigid Golden, development and outreach manager of the heritage watchdog Cockburn Association, told BBC Scotland it was a delicate and difficult task to remove graffiti from historic buildings.Ms Golden said it can require specialist equipment and knowledge to remove it properly without damaging the building itself."It should also be removed quickly to try to avoid irreparable damage to these historic buildings," she said.
Stephen Jenkinson, City of Edinburgh Council's environment convener, said: "First and foremost, defacing any building with graffiti is a criminal offence and I'd encourage anyone with any information on the culprits to contact the police."This type of mindless behaviour damages the local environment for everyone, whether they be residents or visitors, and wastes time and money on removing it."We've invested in a dedicated graffiti team who will be happy to offer advice to private owners on how best to deal with it and, if requested, to remove it (on a cost recovery basis)."Police Scotland confirmed it had received a report of the vandalism on Victoria Street and inquiries were ongoing.