111 Places in Edinburgh That You Shouldn’t Miss

Gillian Tait was born in Edinburgh and grew up in other parts of Scotland. She studied art history and painting conservation at the universities of Edinburgh and London respectively, and worked in the museum sector for many years before reinventing herself as a researcher, editor, writer and photographer. She is the author and photographer of 111 Places in Edinburgh That You Shouldn’t Miss and 111 Places in Fife That You Shouldn’t Miss, and also contributed to 111 Places in Glasgow That You Shouldn’t Miss as photographer and editor. She lives in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town.

• Abbey StrandThe privilege of sanctuary | 10Ann StreetHomes of quality | 12Ashley Terrace Boat HouseReviving the mathematical river | 14Barnton Quarry BunkerCold comfort in the Cold War | 16Blackford HillA ringside view of the Ice Age | 18The Botanic CottageAn enlightening garden centre | 20Bruntsfield LinksPlay the course as you find it | 22The Café RoyalA palace of a pub | 24The CaiystaneStrange sentinel in the suburbs | 26The Caley Station GatesRegal relic of the war of the railways | 28The Camera ObscuraThrough a glass, darkly | 30Cammo ParkWild domain of the Black Widow | 32Castle Terrace Farmers’ MarketFrom the field to the fork | 34The Catherine Sinclair MemorialA philanthropic friend to children and animals | 36Chalmers Memorial ChurchFor those in peril on the sea | 38Craiglockhart War HospitalShellshocked in Dottyville | 40Craigmillar CastleThis castle hath a pleasant seat | 42CramondThe ferryman and the lion | 44Cramond IslandA haven and a barricade | 46Dean BridgeA colossal masterwork | 48Dean CemeteryA fashionable spot to rest undisturbed | 50Dean VillageOld mills by the stream | 52Debenhams’ Library RoomVictorian gentleman lurking in ladieswear | 54The Dominion CinemaGrand old lady of the silver screen | 56Dovecot StudiosTextiles that make a splash | 58Dr Neil’s GardenHorticultural healing | 60Dreaming SpiresWalking tall outside the multiplex | 62Dreghorn Practice TrenchesPreparing for the hell of the Somme | 64Dunbar’s Close GardenThe spirit of gardens past | 66Dundas House Banking HallThe star-spangled vault | 68Edinburgh College of Art Sculpture CourtCasting around for classical perfection | 70Edinburgh PrintmakersThe freedom of the press | 72The Elephant HouseA place of wizard inspiration | 74Fettes CollegeOTT old school of 007 | 76The Flodden TowerKeeping the English out | 78The Forth BridgeMade in Scotland, from girders | 80The French InstituteAn old and cultured ally | 82General Register House RotundaA Pantheon for the nation’s archives | 84George Heriot’s SchoolThe great soul of Jingling Geordie | 86Gilmerton CoveA subterranean rock-cut mystery | 88Gladstone’s LandFrom pigsties to painted ceilings | 90Glencorse ReservoirStill waters and deep history | 92Glenkinchie DistilleryTak aff yer dram | 94Gorgie City FarmA reclaimed rural enclave | 96Greyfriars KirkyardMuch more than a legendary dog’s home | 98The GVIR Postbox at the InchDefusing an explosive situation | 100I J Mellis CheesemongersTaste before you buy | 102InchcolmAncient battleground in the Forth | 104The Innocent RailwayWhen trains went at a horse’s pace | 106The International Climbing ArenaTaking rock sports to new heights | 108The James Clark Maxwell BirthplaceThe forgotten giant of physics | 110Lady Stair’s HouseThe men behind the pen | 112Lady Victoria CollieryA mine of information | 114Lauriston CastleEdwardian time capsule with a long history | 116The Mansfield Traquair CentreThe rainbow at the end of the world | 118The Meadows SundialWell-arranged time | 120The Merchant Navy MemorialSustaining this island fortress | 122The Millennium ClockTowering circles of life and death | 124The Miller MausoleumCraigentinny’s marvellous marbles | 126The Moray EstateA grand alternative to the monotonous grid | 128Moray House Garden PavilionThe unspeakable act in the summerhouse | 130The MoundThe mud heap with an electric blanket | 132Mr Purves’ Lighting EmporiumIllumination without electrics | 134Mr Wood’s FossilsWhen Stan met Lizzie | 136Muschat’s CairnThe stones tell the tale | 138The Museum on the MoundMoney matters | 140The National MonumentA magnificent disgrace | 142NewhailesOriginal splendour – unrestored | 144The Oily WellLiberton’s healing balm | 146Old CollegeTriumphal gateway to knowledge | 148The Old Palm StoveA venerable tree and a whiff of the tropics | 150The Old Royal High SchoolThe parliament that never was | 152The Oxford BarInspector Rebus’ no-nonsense boozer | 154Parliament SquareHistoric hub of genius and learning | 156Penguin ParadeThe zoo’s other black and white stars | 158Piershill CemeteryThe sensational last act of a celebrity dog lover | 160The Political Martyrs’ MonumentThe cause of the people | 162The Portobello Pottery KilnsDays of ginger beer and hot water bottles | 164Portobello PromenadeWe do like to be beside the seaside | 166The Portrait Gallery Entrance HallGilded heroes of the nation | 168The Prestoungrange GothenburgA fine house for responsible drinking | 170The Radical RoadA walk for romantics, built by revolutionaries | 172Ramsay GardenCastles in the air | 174Real FoodsThe principle of natural selection | 176The Robin ChapelMusic and praise in perpetuity | 178Rosslyn ChapelA unique medieval puzzle | 180Sam Burns’ YardFrom a needle to an anchor | 182Sandy Bell’sThe soul of Scots music | 184Sciennes Jewish Burial GroundA hidden cemetery for a hidden people | 186Scotland Street StationThe railway under the New Town | 188The Scott MonumentOne man and his dog | 190The Sheep Heid InnBeer and skittles fit for a king | 192Springvalley Gardens LaneGhost town in Morningside | 194St Bernard’s WellThe foul waters of Hygeia | 196St Cecilia’s HallListening to the 18th century | 198St Giles’ Cathedral RooftopCrowning glory | 200St Margaret’s ChapelSimple shrine for a sainted queen | 202St Triduana’s ChapelSpiritual cleansing | 204The Stockbridge ColoniesBy the workers, for the workers | 206SummerhallArtful revamp of the old vet school | 208Surgeons’ Hall MuseumsGruesome, but gripping | 210SwanstonA quaint little place in the lap of the hills | 212Thomson’s TowerThe curling club and the painting minister | 214The Treasure TroveHomemade, fairtrade, self-aid | 216Trinity ApseA truncated Gothic relic | 218Trinity HouseA better life on the ocean wave | 220Tupiniquim Ex-Police BoxThe afterlife of the bobbies’ temples | 22221st Century KiltsSkirts for men of the new millennium | 224Victoria Swing BridgeKeeping the docks in full swing | 226The Witches’ FountainFair is foul, and foul is fair | 228World’s EndThe limits of a gated community | 230