Colinton

File:19thC Colinton.jpg

File:Norwegian war grave, Colinton Village.jpg

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.Buildings of Edinburgh, by Colin McWilliam 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.{{cite web |title=Colinton |url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/44829 |website=War Memorials Register |publisher=Imperial War Museums |access-date=23 August 2023 |language=en}} One notable grave within the cemetery is that of a Norwegian soldier, Olaf Vennesland.{{cite book |last1=Veum |first1=Eirik |title=De døde for Norge |date=2019 |publisher=Kagge forlag as |isbn=978-8248925033 |language=Norwegian}}

The name of the village is first recorded in 1296 as Colgyntoun, meaning the farm of someone with the Celtic name "Colgan".* {{cite book |last1=Harris |first1=Stuart |title=The Place Names of Edinburgh: Their Origins and History |date=2002 | page = 172 |publisher=Steve Savage Publishers |isbn=1-904246-06-0}} By the 14th century, it had become known as Colbanestoun. According to the Colinton Local History Society, it was named after a "notable resident" named Colban. The name was eventually contracted to Colinton.{{cite web |title=Origins |url=https://colintonhistory.org.uk/history-archive/establishment-colinton-between-the-11th-to-16th-centuries/ |website=Colinton Local History Society |access-date=18 October 2024}}

In May 1599 an English adventurer Edmund Ashfield came to Colinton and met James VI,John Duncan Mackie, Calendar of State Papers Scotland, 13:2 (Edinburgh, 1969), nos. 499, 1128. 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.Joseph Bain, [https://archive.org/details/borderpaperscale02grea/page/652/mode/2up Calendar of Border Papers, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1894), pp. 562]

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.Cassell's Old and New Edinburgh; vol. 9, ch. 38

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,JJ Burnet retired to 55 Woodhall Road where he died in 1938{{cite web|url=http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/building_full.php?id=225999|title= Three cottages, Woodhall Road|publisher=Dictionary of Scottish Architects|access-date=2008-11-21}} who all lived in the village.

File:Colinton Tunnel Mural (3) - geograph.org.uk - 6725118.jpg

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.House of Commons Library: Standard Note:SN06038

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.[https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/museums-galleries/1920-city-boundary-extension-centenary/1 ReDrawing Edinburgh: The Edinburgh Boundary Extension Centennial 1920 Project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303093221/https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/museums-galleries/1920-city-boundary-extension-centenary/1 |date=3 March 2021 }}, City of Edinburgh Council As of 2007, it forms a core part of the Colinton/Fairmilehead multi-member ward for the City of Edinburgh Council.

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.

File:Water of Leith at Colinton Dell.jpg 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.

"Colinton Magazine", published by Colinton Amenity Association, is a full-colour A4-sized glossy publication which includes articles about the past, present and future of the village and surrounding area. Currently, copies are hand-delivered to most households within the area, twice a year.{{cite web |title=Colinton Amenity Association |url=https://www.colinton-amenity.org.uk/ |access-date=2 June 2023}}

Monthly A5-sized title "The Dell Directory" is a sister publication of the various editions of "Konect" magazine distributed in West Lothian and south-west Edinburgh. Copies are delivered to 5,500 households across Colinton and neighbouring Craiglockhart and Kingsknowe.{{cite web |title=The Dell Directory |url=https://www.konect.scot/ |access-date=7 July 2023}}

Since 2014, copies of “C&B News” have been distributed through a small number of outlets in central Colinton. Originally launched in 1976 as "Currie & Balerno News", this monthly, glossy A4-magazine also covers neighbouring Juniper Green, Baberton Mains, Currie, and Balerno along the Water of Leith.{{cite web |title=C&B News – The volunteer-led magazine reporting Currie, Balerno, Juniper Green, Baberton Mains, and Colinton. |url=https://candbnews.com/ |website=C&B News |access-date=2 June 2023}}

Congregational-focused church magazines in the area include “The Sign” (St Cuthbert’s Scottish Episcopal Church) and “The Parish Publication” (Edinburgh Pentlands Parish Church of Scotland, formed from the union of the former Colinton and Juniper Green churches in 2024).

:See also Transport in Edinburgh

The following bus routes, operated by Lothian Buses pass through Colinton village and the surrounding roads:{{cite web |title=Timetables |url=https://www.lothianbuses.com/timetables/ |website=Lothian Buses |access-date=2 June 2023}}

• Number 10 bus — Ocean Terminal (through city via Princes Street) to Bonaly
• Number 16 bus and Number N16 night bus — Silverknowes (through city via Princes Street) to Torphin
• Number 400 bus — Fort Kinnaird (through suburbs) to Edinburgh Airport
• Number 45 bus — Heriot-Watt University Riccarton Campus to King's Road via South and North bridges.

{{More citations needed section|date=December 2017}}

• Archibald Alison – didactic and philosophical writer
• William Alison - Physician and social reformer, lived at Woodville.Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1858
• John Allen – eighteenth and nineteenth century political and historical writer{{cite ODNB |last1=Courtney |first1=W.P. |editor-first1=H. C. G. |editor-last1=Matthew |title=Allen, John |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/383 |access-date=3 June 2023 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/383 |date=3 January 2008}}
• Henry Mackenzie – novelist{{cite web |title=302 COLINTON ROAD WITH BOUNDARY WALL AND RAILINGS (LB28580) |url=http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB28580 |website=Historic Environment Scotland |access-date=3 June 2023}}
• Lord Cockburn – judge and biographer, died at his estate in Bonaly, Colinton.{{cite web |title=Biography of Henry Cockburn |url=https://www.cockburnassociation.org.uk/history/biography/ |website=The Cockburn Association |access-date=24 August 2023}}
• John MacWhirter – landscape painter{{cite ODNB |last1=McWhirter |first1=John|title=MacWhirter [McWhirter], John |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/34826 |access-date=3 June 2023 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/34826 |date=23 September 2004}}
• Calum Elliot – professional footballer
• David Foulis of Colinton – landowner and diplomat
• Thomas Foulis – goldsmith and financier
• James Gillespie – merchant and philanthropist{{cite web |title=Spylaw House, 25 Spylaw Street, Colinton, Edinburgh, Edinburgh |url=https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/200365567-spylaw-house-25-spylaw-street-colinton-edinburgh-edinburgh |website=British Listed Buildings |access-date=7 June 2023}}
• Fred Goodwin – former CEO of Royal Bank of Scotland{{cite news |last1=MacDonald |first1=Stuart |title=Cut down your hedge, Fred Goodwin is ordered |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/cut-down-your-hedge-fred-goodwin-ordered-1495646 |access-date=26 October 2020 |work=The Scotsman |date=12 September 2015}}
• Mo Johnston – professional footballer and manager
• Loudon MacQueen Douglas FRSE – antiquarian and author
• Margaret Hope MacPherson – crofter, politician, and activist; born here
• Craig Gordon – professional footballer
• Craig Reid – musician, the Proclaimers
• Stuart "Woody" Wood – musician, the Bay City Rollers
• John Byrne – artist and playwright (The Slab Boys)
• Ramsay Heatley Traquair, his wife Phoebe Traquair and son Harry Moss Traquair.{{cite ODNB |last1=Cumming |first1=Elizabeth |title=Traquair [née Moss], Phoebe Anna |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/38949 }}{{cite ODNB |last1=Paton |first1=Roberta |title=Traquair, Ramsay Heatley |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/48896 }}

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

• Bonaly
• Dreghorn Barracks
• Redford
• Torphin
• Woodfield
• Woodhall

{{reflist}}

{{commons category|Colinton, Edinburgh}}

• [http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst2722.html Colinton on the Gazetteer for Scotland]
• [http://www.colinton-parish.com/ Colinton Parish Church Website]
• [http://www.firrhill.edin.sch.uk/ Firhill High School Website]
• [http://www.merchiston.co.uk/ Merchiston Castle School Website]
• [http://www.waterofleith.org.uk/ Water of Leith Website]

{{Areas of Edinburgh}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Areas of Edinburgh

Category:Villages in Edinburgh council area

Category:Parishes formerly in Midlothian