Merchiston
Encyclopedia
Merchiston is a prosperous, mainly residential area in the south-west of Edinburgh
, Scotland
. The housing is primarily a mixture of large, late Georgian
, Victorian
and Edwardian
villas – several of the latter by Edward Calvert
– together with a smaller number of Victorian tenements and some relatively large, early-20th century villas. In recent years many of these villas have been subjected to development with blocks of flats being built in their once expansive gardens and the original houses themselves being divided into small numbers of flats.
A campus
forming a major part of Edinburgh Napier University is in the area; it includes Merchiston Tower (or Castle)
, once the home of John Napier
, 8th Laird
of Merchiston and the inventor of logarithms. The university also uses a variety of other buildings in this and surrounding areas, such as former schools and churches, some of which would otherwise have been demolished or made into further flats. The tower was sold by the Honourable John Scott Napier, 14th Laird of Merchiston in 1914 to the Merchiston Castle School
board who used it up until 1930 when the school moved to a new site at Colinton
(whilst retaining the Merchiston Castle name).
The area is home to writers Ian Rankin
(author of the Inspector Rebus
novels), Lin Anderson
, Colin Douglas
, Alexander McCall Smith
(author of the The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
novels) and comedian Dylan Moran
. J.K. Rowling had her Edinburgh home in Merchiston for many years but is said to have moved to Cramond
.
Also in the area are a number of independent schools including George Watson's College
and a Steiner School. On the fringes of the area where it meets Craiglockhart
(to the west) is the suburban railway line
, which is mooted for reopening. To the north of the area is the Union Canal
. North of the canal (in the area sometimes known as North Merchiston or Shandon
and sometimes taken to be part of Polwarth
) are Craiglockhart Primary School
and the site of the former Merchiston railway station
, a railway station on the now-closed Caledonian Railway
line to Edinburgh Princes Street railway station.
Other nearby areas include Morningside
to the southeast, Burghmuirhead
(including Holy Corner
and Church Hill
) to the east and Bruntsfield
to the northeast.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The housing is primarily a mixture of large, late Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
, Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
and Edwardian
Edwardian architecture
Edwardian architecture is the style popular when King Edward VII of the United Kingdom was in power; he reigned from 1901 to 1910, but the architecture style is generally considered to be indicative of the years 1901 to 1914....
villas – several of the latter by Edward Calvert
Edward Calvert (architect)
Edward Calvert was a Scottish domestic architect.Calvert's work appears to have been exclusively confined to Edinburgh, and was mostly concerned with the creation of Baronial tenements and villas in the Second Empire and Jacobean styles...
– together with a smaller number of Victorian tenements and some relatively large, early-20th century villas. In recent years many of these villas have been subjected to development with blocks of flats being built in their once expansive gardens and the original houses themselves being divided into small numbers of flats.
A campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
forming a major part of Edinburgh Napier University is in the area; it includes Merchiston Tower (or Castle)
Merchiston Castle
Merchiston Castle or Merchiston Tower was probably built by Alexander Napier, the second Laird of Merchiston around 1454. It serves as the seat for Clan Napier...
, once the home of John Napier
John Napier
John Napier of Merchiston – also signed as Neper, Nepair – named Marvellous Merchiston, was a Scottish mathematician, physicist, astronomer & astrologer, and also the 8th Laird of Merchistoun. He was the son of Sir Archibald Napier of Merchiston. John Napier is most renowned as the discoverer...
, 8th Laird
Laird
A Laird is a member of the gentry and is a heritable title in Scotland. In the non-peerage table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron and above an Esquire.-Etymology:...
of Merchiston and the inventor of logarithms. The university also uses a variety of other buildings in this and surrounding areas, such as former schools and churches, some of which would otherwise have been demolished or made into further flats. The tower was sold by the Honourable John Scott Napier, 14th Laird of Merchiston in 1914 to the Merchiston Castle School
Merchiston Castle School
Merchiston Castle School is an independent school for boys in the village of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has about 480 pupils and is open to boys between the ages of 8 and 18 as either boarders or day pupils; day pupils make up 35% of the school....
board who used it up until 1930 when the school moved to a new site at Colinton
Colinton
Colinton is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 6 kilometres south west of the city centre. 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...
(whilst retaining the Merchiston Castle name).
The area is home to writers Ian Rankin
Ian Rankin
Ian Rankin, OBE, DL , is a Scottish crime writer. His best known books are the Inspector Rebus novels. He has also written several pieces of literary criticism.-Background:He attended Beath High School, Cowdenbeath...
(author of the Inspector Rebus
Detective Inspector John Rebus
Detective Inspector John Rebus is the protagonist in the Inspector Rebus series of detective novels by the Scottish writer Ian Rankin, ten of which have so far been televised as Rebus...
novels), Lin Anderson
Lin Anderson
Lin Anderson is a Tartan Noir crime novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod. The Rhona MacLeod books are currently being developed for ITV.- Biography :...
, Colin Douglas
Colin Douglas
This article relates to Colin Douglas the Scottish Author, the following is a link to Colin Douglas the British TV actor Colin Douglas Colin Douglas is the pseudonym of a Scottish novelist, Colin Thomas Currie, born in Glasgow in 1945, who was schooled at Hamilton Academy before graduating in...
, Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE, is a Rhodesian-born Scottish writer and Emeritus Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. In the late 20th century, McCall Smith became a respected expert on medical law and bioethics and served on British and international committees...
(author of the The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a series of twelve novels by Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith. The agency is located in Gaborone, capital of Botswana. Its founder is a Motswana woman, Mma Precious Ramotswe, who features as the stories' protagonist and main detective...
novels) and comedian Dylan Moran
Dylan Moran
Dylan Moran is an Irish stand-up comedian, writer, actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his sardonic observational comedy, the UK television sitcom Black Books , and his work with Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead and Run Fatboy Run...
. J.K. Rowling had her Edinburgh home in Merchiston for many years but is said to have moved to Cramond
Cramond
Cramond is a seaside village now part of suburban Edinburgh, Scotland, located in the north-west corner of the city at the mouth of the River Almond where it enters the Firth of Forth....
.
Also in the area are a number of independent schools including George Watson's College
George Watson's College
George Watson's College, known informally as Watson's, is a co-educational independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871 and was merged with its sister school...
and a Steiner School. On the fringes of the area where it meets Craiglockhart
Craiglockhart
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 Kingsknowe to the west...
(to the west) is the suburban railway line
Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway
The Edinburgh Suburban and South Side Junction Railway is a freight and former commuter railway which runs in a loop across the southern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It opened in 1884 for both freight and passenger services...
, which is mooted for reopening. To the north of the area is the Union Canal
Union Canal (Scotland)
The Union Canal is a 31.5-mile canal in Scotland, from Lochrin Basin, Fountainbridge, Edinburgh to Falkirk, where it meets the Forth and Clyde Canal.-Location and features:...
. North of the canal (in the area sometimes known as North Merchiston or Shandon
Shandon, Edinburgh
Shandon is an area of Edinburgh within North Merchiston approximately three miles west of the centre of Edinburgh. It is bounded by Slateford Road to the north, Harrison Road to the east, the Union Canal to the south and the Glasgow-Edinburgh and Suburban rail lines to the west.- Etymology :Harris...
and sometimes taken to be part of Polwarth
Polwarth, Edinburgh
Polwarth is a mainly residential area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is bounded by Bruntsfield and Merchiston to the east and south, Gorgie and Dalry to the north, and Craiglockhart to the west....
) are Craiglockhart Primary School
Craiglockhart
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 Kingsknowe to the west...
and the site of the former Merchiston railway station
Merchiston railway station
Merchiston Station was a railway station which served the area of Merchiston in Edinburgh, Scotland, for around eighty years. The station was built by the Caledonian Railway between 1879 and 1883, with the last passenger service in September 1965...
, a railway station on the now-closed Caledonian Railway
Caledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
line to Edinburgh Princes Street railway station.
Other nearby areas include Morningside
Morningside, Edinburgh
Morningside is a district in the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is south of the areas of Bruntsfield, Burghmuirhead ; south-west of Marchmont, and south-east of Merchiston...
to the southeast, Burghmuirhead
Burghmuirhead
Burghmuirhead is an area of Edinburgh, Scotland.The area lies between Bruntsfield to the north and Morningside to the south. West is Merchiston and east is Greenhill and then The Grange....
(including Holy Corner
Holy Corner
Holy Corner is a colloquial name for a small area of Edinburgh, Scotland, and is actually part of the area more properly known as Burghmuirhead, itself part of the lands of Greenhill. Holy Corner lies between the areas of Bruntsfield and Morningside...
and Church Hill
Church Hill, Edinburgh
Church Hill is the name of a street and small surrounding area in Edinburgh, Scotland.It lies immediately to the north of Morningside and south of Bruntsfield; technically it is part of Burghmuirhead, together with Holy Corner. All of Burghmuirhead was once part of the lands of Greenhill...
) to the east and Bruntsfield
Bruntsfield
Bruntsfield is an area of Edinburgh, Scotland, about twenty minutes walk south-west of the city centre. In feudal times it fell within the barony of Colinton.-Location:...
to the northeast.