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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
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Abbie Meehan

Popular Edinburgh pub recreated in miniature by talented Scots artist

A talented artist has recreated a popular pub in the Leith neighbourhood of Edinburgh thanks to a commission from a regular customer.

Karen, an art school graduate from Glasgow, was commissioned by pub regular Bill McNie to recreate the Dreadnought Pub in Edinburgh as a gift to owner Toby.

The artist, whose other creations include miniatures of Glasgow landmarks, such as the Barrowlands and the Garage nightclub, visited the pub before beginning her work, and had to tweak a few things before delivering the gift alongside Bill this week.

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Writing on her Facebook page, the local artist said: "I was asked to recreate The Dreadnought in Leith a few weeks ago and was delighted at getting my first Edinburgh pub commission.

"I’d never been to Leith before and when I went to take photos of the pub, I almost knackered my car suspension on the long cobbled road down to it( even the speed bumps are cobbled!) Suffering for my art!!

"It was a cold day and the wind was blowing a hoolie around the corner but I was glad to see a nice traditional looking boozer.

The mini sculpture in all its glory. (Submitted)

"The challenge was the shape of it as it wraps around a tenement so the roof shape would need some working out."

And now, after a week straight of working on the piece, Karen hand-delivered the piece to the Dreadnought as she met up with Bill and owner Toby.

Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Karen said: "The cobbled street was an absolute nightmare to navigate as I'd never been to Leith before - but I managed it.

"Including the wee lights inside was a nice touch, and really helped showcase the design inside the pub. There's framed posters and flags everywhere, which you might have missed unless the lights were there.

"It was a really fun piece to create, and I'm looking forward to making more iconic landmarks in Edinburgh."

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Regular Bill McNie with the tiny pub in front of the real thing" (Submitted)

The miniature version of the Dreadnought took painstaking detail and work to create, as Karen added: "My husband had gotten aerial photos of the pub for me, and it's on the front of a tenement building.

"What I had to do was almost build a tenement shaped box behind the original sculpture so I could get the shape of the roof correct.

"I had to build the whole roof around the temporary tenement so it looked right, which was a challenge I wasn't expecting during this process.

"The final outcome is something I'm extremely pleased with, and I'm glad to have made my first Edinburgh-based piece."

You can check out some of Karen's other artistic masterpieces on her website here, and maybe even commission one yourself.

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