Swanston, Edinburgh
Encyclopedia
Swanston is an area of Edinburgh
, Scotland
. It is a small village lying to the south of the larger suburban area of Fairmilehead
, on the south side of the Edinburgh City Bypass
off Oxgangs
Road, and five miles from the city centre. The name is also used to encompass some of the more modern housing on the approach road to the village, on the north side of the bypass. Swanston lies on the lower northern slopes of the Pentland Hills
, which are accessible from the village.
The Hillend dry ski slope is nearby and can be seen from much of the area. Swanston also houses two golf courses in the area: Lothianburn Golf Course and Swanston Golf Course. Both are placed on and around the Pentland Hills.
Robert Louis Stevenson
spent several summers here in the 1870s, as a result of his father taking out a lease for Swanston Cottage (on a spur road to the NW of the village) from 1867 to 1880. Stevenson set his novel St. Ives in this village, describing the house in detail. It is also alleged that Stevenson wrote Treasure Island
under a tree within metres of his cottage. However, since his authorship of the novel post-dates his final year in Swanston, this is not possible. Stevenson's nanny "Cummy" (Alison Cunningham) lived in the small house on the left hand side of the lane leading to Swanston Cottage, for 1880 till 1893 (having lived in the Cottage with them whilst they lived here).
The area (together with Comiston
) was the source of Edinburgh's water supply from very early times. Swanston Cottage was built in 1761 by the Town Council, in connection with the waterworks. It was raised in height to two storeys in 1820. In 1790 the original hollowed out tree trunk pipes, which served the city, were replaced with iron pipes. The early cisterns serving the city still exist in the fields to the east of the village. Swanston Water House (1761) lies between Swanston Farm and Swanston Cottage.
The name "Swanston" is said to derive from Sveinn'ston, after a farmer decided to work the land there in 1214.
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...
. It is a small village lying to the south of the larger suburban area of Fairmilehead
Fairmilehead
Fairmilehead is a district of South Edinburgh. It lies approximately 3 miles due south of the city centre and borders Midlothian. The area comprises the districts of Buckstone, Caiystane, Swanston, Frogston and Winton....
, on the south side of the Edinburgh City Bypass
Edinburgh City Bypass
The Edinburgh City Bypass, designated as A720, is one of the most important trunk roads in Scotland. Circling around the south of Edinburgh, as the equivalent of a ring road for the coastal city, it links together the A1 towards north-east England, the A702 towards north-west England, the M8...
off Oxgangs
Oxgangs
Oxgangs is a suburb in the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom. It is named for an oxgang, an ancient Scottish land measure.Surrounding districts include Caiystane, Dreghorn, Redford, Fairmilehead, Colinton and Swanston and Colinton Mains...
Road, and five miles from the city centre. The name is also used to encompass some of the more modern housing on the approach road to the village, on the north side of the bypass. Swanston lies on the lower northern slopes of the Pentland Hills
Pentland Hills
The Pentland Hills are a range of hills to the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around 20 miles in length, and runs south west from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale.Some of the peaks include:* Scald Law...
, which are accessible from the village.
The Hillend dry ski slope is nearby and can be seen from much of the area. Swanston also houses two golf courses in the area: Lothianburn Golf Course and Swanston Golf Course. Both are placed on and around the Pentland Hills.
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
spent several summers here in the 1870s, as a result of his father taking out a lease for Swanston Cottage (on a spur road to the NW of the village) from 1867 to 1880. Stevenson set his novel St. Ives in this village, describing the house in detail. It is also alleged that Stevenson wrote Treasure Island
Treasure Island
Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "pirates and buried gold". First published as a book on May 23, 1883, it was originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881–82 under the title Treasure Island; or, the...
under a tree within metres of his cottage. However, since his authorship of the novel post-dates his final year in Swanston, this is not possible. Stevenson's nanny "Cummy" (Alison Cunningham) lived in the small house on the left hand side of the lane leading to Swanston Cottage, for 1880 till 1893 (having lived in the Cottage with them whilst they lived here).
The area (together with Comiston
Comiston
Comiston is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is south of Morningside and west of the Braid Hills.The main road through the area, Comiston Road, is a continuation of Morningside Road, and further south becomes Biggar Road. It is classified as the A702 which indeed runs eventually...
) was the source of Edinburgh's water supply from very early times. Swanston Cottage was built in 1761 by the Town Council, in connection with the waterworks. It was raised in height to two storeys in 1820. In 1790 the original hollowed out tree trunk pipes, which served the city, were replaced with iron pipes. The early cisterns serving the city still exist in the fields to the east of the village. Swanston Water House (1761) lies between Swanston Farm and Swanston Cottage.
The name "Swanston" is said to derive from Sveinn'ston, after a farmer decided to work the land there in 1214.