Montgomery Street Helter Skelter lives on in art
A Leith artist has given a new lease of life to the Montgomery Street Helter Skelter which was removed due to safety concerns during the renovation at the play park.
For more than half a century an ornate slide or Helter Skelter stood in Montgomery Street Park, and became an integral part of the community.
Leithers far and wide were able to recall playing with, drawing on, or as local artist Paul Meikle has recently discovered, peeing down, the structure. Regardless of how it was interacted with, fond and priceless memories were made and it is those memories that Paul could not allow to be destroyed when Edinburgh Council decided that was its fate.
When the council deemed the structure unsafe for use it was set to be scrapped alongside the decades worth of memories it holds. Paul, an artist whose work focuses on decaying environments, saw an opportunity and contacted those involved with a plan to ensure that this once local staple and its stories live on forever.
The Friends of Montgomery Street Park tried to save the historic helter skelter PHOTO Alan Simpson
He dismantled the slide and has since transformed it into 15 different artworks, using every piece to form the works. Its bars are used as frames, its stairs as a canvas. The slide has not only been saved but the community who remember it so fondly can now hang a piece of history on their walls. And remember it fondly they do. Paul says he has interviewed residents to ensure the art represents the local spirit and the stories it holds.
He said: 'Play parks shape our existence as we grow up. Leithers have told me of the creative ways they used the Helter Skelter over the decades, creating different obstacles and reimagining it as completely different worlds. Each of them viewing it through a different lens. An enchanting place you used to play with your dad.
'Somewhere you'd go with your pals, trying to wrap the swings around the top bar for hours on end. A chute that quite a few people have peed down for some reason I couldn't see these stories go in the bin. People grew up with this Helter Skelter. My hope is that this is the Helter Skelter growing up with them.'
The pieces will be on display at Sett Studios in Leith over the weekend of 30 May. This is the first solo show for the Leith-based artist. The artworks will also be shown at the Hidden Door festival which is on at the Paper Factory in Edinburgh from Wednesday 11 to Sunday 15 June.
Helter Skelter by Paul Meikle
Sett Studios, 127 Leith Walk. Edinburgh
Opening Night: 30 May 6pm – 9pm
General Viewing: 31 May – 1 June 12 – 6pm
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Credit. Sam McGill 2025
Credit. Sam McGill 2025
Credit. Sam McGill 2025
Credit. Sam McGill 2025
Credit. Sam McGill 2025
Credit. Sam McGill 2025
Credit. Sam McGill 2025
Credit. Sam McGill 2025
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