Eastmoor climbing centre opens the region's tallest indoor wall

A climbing centre with the tallest indoor wall in the region has opened in a former grain warehouse in Eastmoor. The Granary Climbing Centre's main lead wall stands 21 metres high, almost twice the height of the next tallest wall in the area, and takes climbers up through what were once four floors of storage.

The centre was set up by two local climbers, Jess Halloran and Tomasz Wierzbicki, who spent three years looking for a suitable building. The warehouse, which had stood empty for more than a decade, was bought from a property company with the help of a loan from a community investment fund. The conversion cost about €1.9 million.

Something for every level

As well as the lead wall, the centre has a large bouldering area with padded flooring, a training room with fingerboards and a separate wall for young children. Routes are reset every few weeks so regular visitors always have something new to try. Beginners are required to complete an induction session before using the ropes without an instructor.

When we first came in here it was full of pigeons and broken pallets. Now the light comes through the old loading doors onto the wall, and it feels like it was always meant for this.

Ms Halloran said the building's original features had been kept wherever possible, including the timber beams and cast-iron columns on the lower floors. The centre also has a small café and a shop selling second-hand climbing shoes donated by members.

The Eastmoor Community Trust is funding a weekly youth club at the centre, offering free sessions to 11 to 16-year-olds who live in the area. Trust director Abdul Mensah said climbing could help young people build confidence. "You can see a kid's face change when they get to the top of a route they thought was impossible," he said.

The centre is open seven days a week from early morning until late evening. Mr Wierzbicki said they hoped to host regional competitions within two years, once the wall has been certified for competition use.