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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
World
David McLean

Edinburgh urban explorers gain access to derelict school in new video

A pair of young urban explorers have ventured into an abandoned Edinburgh school in their latest video.

The YouTubers, who post content under the name SzDan, gained access to the city's derelict Castlebrae High School, which has lain abandoned since last year.

Their footage, which was uploaded to YouTube on March 26, gives a tour of the half-demolished building in Craigmillar and shows us inside classrooms that were once filled with schoolchildren.

READ MORE: Abandoned Edinburgh car factory dating back to 1898 explored in new footage

The pair, who describe their visit as "hard and dangerous", walk through dimly-lit corridors and classrooms, many of which still bear evidence of the building's past life.

School art projects, motivational slogans and lessons can still be seen plastered all over the walls and on old blackboards. In the music room a rather broken-looking piano can be seen, while the PE hall still has basketball hoops attached to the walls.

The former school is starting to be demolished (Edinburgh Live)

A decision to close Castlebrae was made 10 years ago and the vacant building has repeatedly been the target of vandalism and anti-social behaviour since the new school opened on April 26, 2022.

Within a fortnight of the new school opening, police reported that windows at the former school had been smashed, the building broken into and toilets vandalised. There were also reports of people on the roof.

The boys behind the SzDan videos, however, insist that they "did not vandalise or break anything" after gaining entry to the old school.

The explorers have visited various abandoned buildings in Edinburgh including the old Madelvic car factory in Granton and the Redhall Children’s Home.

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Demolition of the former Castlebrae Community High School commenced at the start of the year and the site is now perilously dangerous to access. Gaining entry to the building is illegal and not recommended.

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