Colinton
Bridge Street, Colinton in 2005
Colinton is located in the City of Edinburgh council area
Colinton
Colinton
Location within the City of Edinburgh council area
Colinton is located in Scotland
Colinton
Colinton
Location within Scotland
OS grid referenceNT214689
Council area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townEDINBURGH
Postcode districtEH13
Dialling code0131
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The same street in the 1980s

Colinton (Scottish Gaelic: Baile Cholgain) is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 3+1⁄2 miles (5.6 km) south-west of the city centre. Up until the late 18th century it appears on maps as Collington. It is bordered by Dreghorn to the south and Craiglockhart to the north-east. To the north-west it extends to Lanark Road (the A70) and to the south-west to the City Bypass. Bonaly is a subsection of the area on its southern side.

Colinton is a designated conservation area.

History

Colinton in the 19th century
Grave of Olaf Vennesland, Colinton Kirkyard

Originally sited within a steep-sided glen on a convenient fording point on the Water of Leith, and expanding from there, Colinton's history dates back to before the 11th century.

Close to the Water of Leith is Colinton Parish Church, correctly called St Cuthbert's Parish Church, which was founded as the Church of Halis (Hailes) around 1095 by Elthelred, third son of Malcolm III and Queen Margaret. The current exterior largely dates from 1907 but the structure dates from 1650.[1] The entrance is marked by a lych gate, rare in Scotland and more common in southern England. The cemetery (on the lower slopes to the south) contains the village war memorial.[2] One notable grave within the cemetery is that of a Norwegian soldier, Olaf Vennesland.[3]

In May 1599 an English adventurer Edmund Ashfield came to Colinton and met James VI,[4] and in September another English visitor Henry Lee with David Foulis watched James VI hunting from the tower of the castle, then he stopped there for a meal.[5]

The village was occupied by ten companies of General Monk's Regiment (now known as the Coldstream Guards) on 18 August 1650 prior to their attack on Colinton Castle and Redhall during the English Civil War.[6]

The nearby 15th-century Colinton Castle, in the grounds of what is now Merchiston Castle School, was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell during his invasion of Scotland. Following repair, the castle was subsequently partially demolished by the artist Alexander Nasmyth in order to create a picturesque ruin.

Other notable figures with connections to Colinton include: Robert Louis Stevenson who spent the summers of his childhood at the manse when his grandfather was the village's Parish Minister; the philanthropist James Gillespie; and architects Sir Robert Rowand Anderson and John James Burnet,[7] who all lived in the village.

Redford Barracks

A number of innovative Arts and Crafts style cottages were also constructed in the village in the early 1900s by the architect Sir Robert Lorimer. Between 1909 and 1915, the War Office constructed Redford Barracks to the east of the village. The barracks represent the largest military installation built in Scotland since Fort George in the Highlands and they provide military accommodation, together with offices and training facilities. As part of the UK government's defence spending review, Redford and Dreghorn Barracks are deemed surplus to requirements and earmarked for disposal.[8]

The village was the location for mills producing textiles, snuff, and paper. The Caledonian Railway Company constructed a spur line connecting Slateford and Balerno in 1874, with a station at Colinton. This line continued to carry passengers until 1943, but closed altogether when the carriage of freight was discontinued in 1967.

Colinton Parish was amalgamated into Edinburgh on 1 November 1920.[9] As of 2007, it forms a core part of the Colinton/Fairmilehead multi-member ward for the City of Edinburgh Council.

Colinton today

Although now a well-established suburb of Edinburgh, the original heart of Colinton is still referred to as "Colinton Village", with small speciality shops and many original buildings remaining intact.

The Water of Leith in Colinton Dell.

The Dell extends along the Water of Leith Walkway from Colinton Parish Church towards Slateford, and contains a mixture of mature and ancient woodland. It is a natural habitat for wildlife. The walkway and cycle path pass by original mill buildings and an old tunnel that dates back to when the path was part of the local railway line. Spylaw Park is situated within the area.

Colinton is served by Colinton Primary School, Bonaly Primary School, Firrhill High School. Merchiston Castle School, east of the village, is an independent all-boys boarding school.

The major route to the city centre, Colinton Road, runs from Colinton through Craiglockhart to Holy Corner, a part of Burghmuirhead between Morningside and Bruntsfield. Along the road are a number of significant Victorian and Edwardian villas, some of which were designed by Edward Calvert.

Publications

In addition to city-wide media, the village is covered by "Colinton Magazine", currently published twice a year by the Colinton Amenity Association. The magazine includes reports from CAA officers and articles of general interest about Colinton and neighbouring Bonaly.[10]

Since 2014, Colinton has also been included within the distribution area of "C&B News" (originally "Currie & Balerno News"), a monthly volunteer-led community magazine also covering neighbouring Juniper Green, Baberton Mains, Currie, and Balerno along the Water of Leith valley.[11]

"The Dell Directory", part of the family of monthly "Konect" magazines published in West Lothian and Edinburgh West, is delivered to 5,500 households across Colinton and neighbouring Craiglockhart and Kingsknowe.[12]

Ethnicity

According to the 2011 Census, the population of the Colinton / Fairmilehead ward (Ward 8) is as follows:[13]

ColintonEdinburgh
White95.0%91.7%
Asian2.9%5.5%
African / Caribbean0.7%1.2%
Other / Mixed1.3%1.6%

Transport

See also Transport in Edinburgh

The following bus routes, operated by Lothian Buses pass through Colinton village and the surrounding roads:[14]

Famous residents

See also

These areas are sometimes taken to be parts of Colinton, or to be neighbouring areas in their own right:

References

  1. ↑ Buildings of Edinburgh, by Colin McWilliam
  2. ↑ "Colinton". War Memorials Register. Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  3. ↑ Veum, Eirik (2019). De døde for Norge (in Norwegian). Kagge forlag as. ISBN 978-8248925033.
  4. ↑ John Duncan Mackie, Calendar of State Papers Scotland, 13:2 (Edinburgh, 1969), nos. 499, 1128.
  5. ↑ Joseph Bain, Calendar of Border Papers, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1894), pp. 562
  6. ↑ Cassell's Old and New Edinburgh; vol. 9, ch. 38
  7. ↑ JJ Burnet retired to 55 Woodhall Road where he died in 1938"Three cottages, Woodhall Road". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 21 November 2008.
  8. ↑ House of Commons Library: Standard Note:SN06038
  9. ↑ ReDrawing Edinburgh: The Edinburgh Boundary Extension Centennial 1920 Project Archived 3 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine, City of Edinburgh Council
  10. ↑ "Colinton Amenity Association". Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  11. ↑ "C&B News – The volunteer-led magazine reporting Currie, Balerno, Juniper Green, Baberton Mains, and Colinton". C&B News. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  12. ↑ "The Dell Directory". Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  13. ↑ "Council Ward Profiles". City of Edinburgh Council. January 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  14. ↑ "Timetables". Lothian Buses. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  15. ↑ Courtney, W.P. (3 January 2008). "Allen, John". In Matthew, H. C. G. (ed.). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/383. Retrieved 3 June 2023. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  16. ↑ "302 COLINTON ROAD WITH BOUNDARY WALL AND RAILINGS (LB28580)". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  17. ↑ "Biography of Henry Cockburn". The Cockburn Association. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  18. ↑ McWhirter, John (23 September 2004). "MacWhirter [McWhirter], John". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/34826. Retrieved 3 June 2023. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  19. ↑ "Spylaw House, 25 Spylaw Street, Colinton, Edinburgh, Edinburgh". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  20. ↑ MacDonald, Stuart (12 September 2015). "Cut down your hedge, Fred Goodwin is ordered". The Scotsman. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  21. ↑ Cumming, Elizabeth (2004). "Traquair [née Moss], Phoebe Anna". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/38949. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  22. ↑ Paton, Roberta (2004). "Traquair, Ramsay Heatley". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/48896. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
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