Polphail, Archaeological site near Portavadie, Scotland
Polphail was a speculatively built settlement in Argyll and Bute with residential blocks and administrative buildings designed for a planned shipyard. The complex consisted of standardized structures arranged around a central courtyard until the site was cleared decades later.
The settlement emerged in the 1970s as part of an ambitious plan to house workers for an intended oil platform production facility. The project collapsed due to economic setbacks before it was ever inhabited.
In 2009, six artists from the Agents of Change collective created over 75 art pieces throughout the abandoned buildings before their demolition.
The location sits beside Portavadie Marina and is now visible as a cleared site undergoing reshaping. Visitors should note that the grounds continue to evolve with new development activity taking place.
The site remained unexpectedly empty despite being built to house hundreds of residents. Artists documented this strange emptiness through large-scale installations before the grounds were later cleared.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
