Longstone, Edinburgh

Last updated

Longstone, Edinburgh
Slateford Aqueduct and Viaduct - geograph.org.uk - 1532265.jpg
Slateford Aqueduct and Viaduct at Longstone
Edinburgh UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Longstone, Edinburgh
Location within the City of Edinburgh council area
Scotland location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Longstone, Edinburgh
Location within Scotland
Council area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town EDINBURGH
Postcode district EH14
Dialling code 0131
Police Scotland
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
List of places
UK
Scotland
55°55′23″N3°15′36″W / 55.923°N 3.260°W / 55.923; -3.260

Longstone is a suburb of Edinburgh in Scotland. [1] The area is primarily residential in nature, although the area includes several small shops, eateries and supermarkets, as well as one of the main bus depots for the city's buses. The population of Longstone (including Saughton) was 4,678 in 2019. [2]

Contents

History

For much of its early history, Longstone was used for agricultural purposes, with three farms being recorded in the 18th century. [3] Inglis Green Road and manor house lie on the border between Longstone and Slateford. [4] The name Inglis Green was given in 1773 when George Inglis of Redhall leased the land to a local businessman for use as a cloth Bleaching Green. [3] The area was formerly the site of a pre-18th century farmstead known as Gray's Mill Farm (used very briefly as a temporary headquarters by Charles Edward Stuart [3] in September 1745) and subsequently developed as a mill and then as a laundry until closing in 1983. [5] [6] In the Victorian period, Longstone was classed as a hamlet in the parish of Colinton. [7]

Redhall park and the adjacent street names in Longstone take their name from the nearby Redhall (also known as Reidhall) castle on the border between Longstone and Craiglockhart beside the Water of Leith. [8] The castle was owned by Adam Otterburn, a Scottish lawyer in the 16th century. [8] It was later besieged and taken by the forces of Oliver Cromwell in 1650. [8] In the 18th century, the castle was demolished and the stones used to build Redhall House in 1756 under the ownership of George Inglis of Auchendinny. [9] The castle's octagonal doocot was kept and a walled garden also created. [8] [10] The house was subsequently inherited by his nephew, Vice-Admiral John Inglis. [9] By the early 20th century, the House was purchased by the Edinburgh Corporation and converted to a children's home, now since defunct. Some of the adjacent estate has been converted to housing, with the doocot restored, although the main house remains abandoned. [11] However, the walled garden is still in use, as a public garden under the ownership of the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) and lies within Longstone's boundary. [12]

Longstone developed and expanded significantly after the Second World War and now, predominantly consists of post-war, mid 20th century housing in flats and semi-detached villas. [13] In the 1940s, Longstone Road was known as Drumbrydon Road. [13] The area occupied by the current Longstone Bus Garage was previously in use as a brickworks until the late 1940s. [13] Today, housing is a mixture of terraces and flats, many consist of local authority housing, private housing and Ministry of Defence (armed services) housing, as well as former housing for prisoner officers of the nearby HM Prison Edinburgh.

Geography

Longstone borders Craiglockhart to the east, Kingsknowe and Colinton to the south, Wester Hailes and Parkhead to the west, and Saughton, Stenhouse and Slateford to the north.

Longstone's most dramatic features are the Slateford Aqueduct (1822) carrying the Union Canal and the adjacent railway viaduct (1842). Underneath these runs the Water of Leith, and the canal may sometimes be seen pouring out through an overflow down into the river. The Water of Leith's visitor centre lies almost underneath the aqueduct here.

Governance

Direct local governance in Longstone is carried under the direction of the Longstone Community Council, established in 1980 and funded by the City of Edinburgh Council. [14] Longstone is represented in the City of Edinburgh Council by four councillors under the Sighthill/Gorgie Ward. [15]

Economy

The office building of Longstone garage of Lothian Buses. This is the north east corner, as seen from the Longstone Road roundabout. The main shed is attached on the right. Since this shot was taken the garage has undergone a major extension, refurbishment and rebranding. Longstone Bus Depot - geograph.org.uk - 1532255.jpg
The office building of Longstone garage of Lothian Buses. This is the north east corner, as seen from the Longstone Road roundabout. The main shed is attached on the right. Since this shot was taken the garage has undergone a major extension, refurbishment and rebranding.

The area contains one of the city's main bus depots belonging to Lothian Buses, now named the Longstone Garage but formerly called the Lothian Regional Transport Office. [13] The building was designed by T Bowhill Gibson and Laing in 1949 in the art deco style and was built in 1955. [13] It has space for 220 buses. [16]

There are also a small number of shops, a large Sainsburys supermarket and a car dealership, in addition to several churches. Slateford Longstone Church (formerly known as Longstone Hall Church) was designed by the architect Leslie Grahame Thomson MacDougall in 1952 as a dual public hall and church, with a circular tower and copper roof. It was completed in 1954 and opened for worship in 1955 as a church under the Church of Scotland. [17] [18] [19]

The Longstone Inn is a 19th-century public house on Longstone road. [20] The inn and several adjacent properties have been abandoned since 2020 after becoming unsafe, following severe flooding of the adjacent Water of Leith. [21] [22] [23]

Community facilities

Hailes Quarry Park is a public park and recreation area between Longstone and Kingsknowe that is on the site of a former quarry that closed in 1902. [24]

Redhall park is a public park bordering Longstone and Slateford that includes a football pitch, pavillon and play area. [25] Redhall park contains the First and Second World War memorial for the Longstone and Slateford communities. [26] [27]

Education

Longstone has two educational facilities. Longstone Primary School is a non denominational primary school based at Redhall Grove (before 1957 it was based in Longstone Road). Longstone Primary School is a Category C listed structure and was built between 1954 and 1957 to a design by Reid and Forbes in a horizontal art deco style. [28] It is considered a notable example of a 1950s modernist school building. [28]

Recently an additional school built next to Longstone Primary School called Redhall Primary School supports children with moderate learning difficulties.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midlothian</span> Council area of Scotland

Midlothian is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council area, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water of Leith</span> River in Edinburgh, Scotland

The Water of Leith is the main river flowing through central Edinburgh, Scotland, that starts in the Pentlands Hills and flows into the port of Leith and then into the sea via the Firth of Forth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craiglockhart</span>

Craiglockhart is a suburb in the south west of Edinburgh, Scotland, lying between Colinton to the south, Morningside to the east Merchiston to the north east, and Longstone and Kingsknowe to the west. The Water of Leith is also to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fauldhouse</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Fauldhouse is a village in West Lothian, Scotland. It is about halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The nearest towns to Fauldhouse are Whitburn and Livingston. Other neighbouring villages include Longridge, Shotts and Stoneyburn. At approximately 750 feet above sea level, Fauldhouse is one of the highest villages in West Lothian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balerno</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Balerno is a village on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 8 miles south-west of the city centre, next to Currie and then Juniper Green. Traditionally in the county of Midlothian it now administratively falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edinburgh Council. The village lies at the confluence of the Water of Leith and the Bavelaw Burn. In the 18th and 19th century, the area was home to several mills using waterpower. In the 20th century, the mills closed and the village now forms a residential suburb of Edinburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colinton</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Colinton is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 3+1⁄2 miles southwest 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 and to the south-west to the City Bypass. Bonaly is a subsection of the area on its southern side.

Sighthill is a suburb in the west of Edinburgh, Scotland. The area is bordered by Broomhouse and Parkhead to the east, South Gyle to the north, the industrial suburb of Bankhead and the Calders neighbourhood to the west, and Wester Hailes to the south. It is sometimes included in the Wester Hailes area, while the Calders, Bankhead and Parkhead are sometimes considered parts of Sighthill. Administratively it has formed a core part of the City of Edinburgh Council's Sighthill/Gorgie ward since 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saughton</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Saughton is a suburb of the west of Edinburgh, Scotland, bordering Broomhouse, Stenhouse, Longstone and Carrick Knowe. In Lowland Scots, a "sauch" is a willow. The Water of Leith flows by here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niddrie, Edinburgh</span> Suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland

Niddrie is a residential suburb in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is situated in the south-east of the city, south-west of the seaside area of Portobello, and west of Musselburgh in East Lothian near Fort Kinnaird retail park. The western section of Niddrie is also known by the alternative name of Craigmillar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armadale, West Lothian</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Armadale is a town within the county of West Lothian in the Central Belt of Scotland. It lies to the west of Bathgate and to the east of Blackridge. Armadale, formerly known as Barbauchlaw, is an ex-mining town which was also known for its brick manufacturing. It is named after Armadale in Sutherland, this estate being owned by Sir William Honeyman who later acquired the land of Barbauchlaw. Primarily a residential community, the town has a number of different public places, a central Mains Street and a series of parks, green spaces and nature reserves, many of which lie atop former mines and industrial areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winchburgh</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Winchburgh is a village in the council area of West Lothian, Scotland. It is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of the city-centre of Edinburgh, 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Linlithgow and 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Broxburn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linlithgow</span> Town in Scotland

Linlithgow is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a historic route between Edinburgh and Falkirk beside Linlithgow Loch. The town is situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Edinburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingsknowe</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Kingsknowe is a suburb of Edinburgh the capital of Scotland. It is south-west of Craiglockhart, and borders Wester Hailes, Slateford and Longstone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slateford</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Slateford is an area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is east of the Water of Leith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torphichen</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Torphichen is a historic small village located north of Bathgate in West Lothian, Scotland. The village is approximately 18 miles (29 km) west of Edinburgh, 7 miles (11 km) south-east of Falkirk and 4 miles (6.4 km) south-west of Linlithgow. The village had a population of 570 in the and a population of 710 in 2016. Torphichen's placename may be Gaelic in origin, e.g., "Tóir Féichín", Tor Fithichean, or partly from Brythonic "tre fychan" or small hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murieston</span>

Murieston is a primarily residential district on the southern edge of Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland. It lies to the south-east of Bellsquarry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slateford Aqueduct</span> Bridge in Slateford

The Slateford Aqueduct is a navigable aqueduct that carries the Union Canal over the Water of Leith at Slateford, Edinburgh, Scotland. Completed in 1822, it has eight arches and spans a length of 500 feet (150 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ebenezer James MacRae</span> Scottish architect (1881–1951)

Ebenezer James MacRae was a Scottish architect serving as City Architect for Edinburgh for most of his active life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saughtonhall</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Saughtonhall is a residential neighbourhood in the west of Edinburgh, Scotland, bordering Balgreen directly to the south and south-west, Murrayfield to the north, Carrick Knowe golf course to the west, and sports facilities on the opposite bank of the Water of Leith and its walkway to the east, connected by several footbridges which now also incorporate flooding defences. It is within the Corstorphine/Murrayfield ward under the City of Edinburgh Council.

References

  1. ↑ "Longstone". The Gazetteer for Scotland. School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh and The Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  2. ↑ "Longstone and Saughton". statistics.gov.scot. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Historical Notes about the Parish of Slateford Longstone". Longstone Community Council. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  4. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Edinburgh, Inglis Green Road, Inglis Green House (152840)". Canmore . Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  5. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Edinburgh, Slateford, Inglis Green Road, Inglis Green Laundry Company (199380)". Canmore . Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  6. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Edinburgh, Slateford, Gray's Mills (52692)". Canmore . Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  7. ↑ "1882 - Gazetteer of Scotland - Longstone". NLS. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Historic Environment Scotland. "Redhall Castle (52570)". Canmore . Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  9. 1 2 Gifford, McWilliam and Walker (1 January 2003). Buildings of Scotland: Edinburgh. Yale University Press. p. 58.
  10. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Edinburgh, Redhall House, Walled Garden And Summerhouse (227125)". Canmore . Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  11. ↑ "This 18th century mansion near the Water of Leith has long been at risk – but does it have a future". Edinburgh Live. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  12. ↑ "Redhall, the garden you've probably never heard of". The Scottish Association for Mental Health. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Historic Environment Scotland. "Lothian Regional Transport Office, excluding interior and pitched roofed garages and workshops to the south and west, 3 Murrayburn Road, Edinburgh (Category C Listed Building) (LB52441)" . Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  14. ↑ "About Us". Longstone Community Council. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  15. ↑ "Map of City of Edinburgh wards, councillors and MSPs". City of Edinburgh Council. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  16. ↑ "Longstone Garage". Lothian Buses. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  17. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Edinburgh, Longstone Hall Church (165245)". Canmore . Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  18. ↑ "About Us". Slateford Longstone Church. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  19. ↑ "Architecture". Longstone Community Council. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  20. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Edinburgh, 30 Longstone Road, Longstone Inn (196128)". Canmore . Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  21. ↑ "Edinburgh pub closes temporarily after 'collapsing into Water of Leith'". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  22. ↑ "Pictures show damage worsening at Edinburgh pub as chunks tumble into Water of Leith". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  23. ↑ "Popular Edinburgh pub with toilets swept away in storm to be sold to home builders". Edinburgh Live. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  24. ↑ "Hailes Quarry Park". Edinburgh Outdoors, Edinburgh Council. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  25. ↑ "Redhall Park". Edinburgh Outdoors, Edinburgh Council. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  26. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Edinburgh, Redhall Public Park, War Memorial (339410)". Canmore . Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  27. ↑ "Slateford War Memorial". Edinburgh Outdoors, Edinburgh Council. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  28. 1 2 Historic Environment Scotland. "Longstone Primary School, including boundary walls, gates and railings and excluding linking canopy to Redhall School, 3A Redhall Grove, Edinburgh (Category C Listed Building) (LB52405)" . Retrieved 1 July 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.