Clermiston - Izeria

Clermiston is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland, to the west of the city and to the immediate north of Corstorphine, on the western slopes of Corstorphine Hill. Clermiston estate, built from 1954 onwards, was part of a major 1950s house-building programme to tackle overcrowding in Leith and Gorgie. The area is now home to more than 20,000 people, and abuts onto Drumbrae, Clerwood and Corstorphine.

1. History

The district, known 400 years ago as Glabertoun, became Clermiston in 1730, when a narrow track linked the village of Corstorphine to a small hamlet at Mutton Hole, now known as Davidsons Mains. It was originally used as a hunting ground by the wealthy. Clermiston Tower was built on the top of the hill in 1872 to mark the centenary of Walter Scott's birth. It was presented to the city in 1932, the anniversary of Scott's death. Large parts of the lower grounds of Clermiston were owned by the Buttercup Dairy Company until the 1950s, when Edinburgh Corporation bought it for local authority housing. Part of the land not used by the Corporation to build the Clermiston Estate (the land adjacent to Corstorphine Hill and part of Corstorphine) was sold off to Wimpey Homes who built the Clerwood housing estate on the edge of Corstorphine in 1963; the rest was used for the construction of Queen Margaret College, later Queen Margaret University, which was built next to Clerwood, and Fox Covert Primary School, which serves Clerwood and part of Corstorphine, as well as Fox Covert R.C. Primary School, which serves the Roman Catholic community in the area. Queen Margaret University was finally demolished in July 2009 after the University moved to its new campus in Musselburgh in 2008 leaving the land free for housing developers, Charles Church, to build a new housing estate.

1. Schools

Clermiston is served by Craigmount High School, and the Royal High School. The Clermiston area is served by a local primary school [1], Clermiston Primary School on Parkgrove Place is a feeder school for the Royal High School. The nearest Roman Catholic schools are Fox Covert R.C. Primary School and St. Augustine's High School.

1. Infrastructure

Vehicular access to Clermiston used to be possible at the Queensferry Road (A90) at Clermiston Drive junction, however this road was closed off and this lower part of Clermiston is now accessible from Queensferry Road at Parkgrove Street. Clermiston is served by the Lothian Bus numbers: 1, 21, 26, and 200.

1. Demographics


1. Notable residents

The Scars - An Edinburgh post-punk band. Walter Scott who held lands in the area, and to whom there is a monument nearby on Corstorphine Hill.

1. Further reading

Bell, Raymond MacKean Literary Corstorphine: A Reader's Guide to West Edinburgh (2017) Scott, Bill The Buttercup: The Remarkable Story of Andrew Ewing and the Buttercup Dairy Company (2011)

1. References

Nearby Places View Menu

201 m

Drumbrae

Drumbrae or Drum Brae is a suburb of west Edinburgh, Scotland generally considered to be part of the neighbouring larger areas of Corstorphine and Clermiston. This is a commuter settlement as many people who live in the area travel to the centre of town to attend work. The name appears to derive from the Scottish Gaelic Druim Bràigh meaning "the brow of the ridge" and this ridge can still be seen today, and is an extension of Corstorphine Hill. In the area there is much housing, a primary school, a leisure centre which serves much of the west of Edinburgh, a library/community hub which serves all of the clermiston/drumbrae area and some shopping facilities. A gala is also held once a year at Drumbrae Leisure Centre which brings many people from the local communities of Clermiston, East Craigs Corstorphine and barnton together. Drumbrae Primary School was closed in June 2010 despite long campaigns by the local community to prevent it from closing. Most of the children were moved to nearby Clermiston and East Craigs Primary Schools. Most of Drum Brae is served by The Royal High School and the area of Drum Brae further west and closer to Corstorphine is served by Craigmount High School. The nearest Roman Catholic schools are Fox Covert R.C. Primary School and St. Augustine's High School. Drum Brae has become a more popular area to live in recent years as people move away from the centre of Edinburgh. The area contains a diverse range of socioeconomic backgrounds. From affluent retired households to lower income families but a few streets away. Many are employed, usually in service industries but there is also a high rate of crime in the area.

Library Neighbourhood

556 m

Parkgrove

Parkgrove is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Approximately 4 miles north-west of Edinburgh city centre. The suburb is located between the neighbouring areas of Clermiston, Barnton and Davidson's Mains. Parkgrove houses local amenities including Clermiston Primary School, Parkgrove Medical Centre, Barnton Dental Spa and the Munro Community Centre. Local shops are located on Parkgrove Street, consisting of the local newsagents, deli and barber shop, with Parkgrove Shopping Centre situated on Queensferry Road, housing a Tesco Express, Baines Bakers, Omnicare Pharmacy, Majestic Wine Warehouse and Tony Macaroni Italian restaurant.

Neighbourhood Pharmacy

Barnton Quarry

Barnton Quarry is a disused stone quarry in Corstorphine Hill, Clermiston, Edinburgh, Scotland. The site was later used as a military command centre, and is now being converted into a museum. Stone was extracted from the quarry until 1914. During the Second World War, the Royal Air Force (RAF) built a Fighter Command operations room in the quarry. In 1952, during the Cold War, this facility was expanded into a central coordination facility for radar stations throughout Scotland. The military authorities closed the site and in 1983 and transferred ownership to the local council. The site was subsequently vandalised and damaged by fire. The site is now being cleaned and restored with the goal of creating a local Cold War museum and education centre. The project is being undertaken by volunteers, with funding from the owners of Scotland's Secret Bunker, a disused bunker near Anstruther which is now run as a tourist attraction.

971 m

Royal High School, Edinburgh

The Royal High School (RHS) of Edinburgh is a co-educational school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland. It serves around 1,400 pupils drawn from four feeder primaries in the north-west of the city: Blackhall primary school, Clermiston primary school, Cramond and Davidson's Mains. The school's profile has given it a flagship role in education, piloting such experiments as the introduction of the Certificate of Secondary Education, the provision of setting in English and mathematics, and the curricular integration of European Studies and the International Baccalaureate. The Royal High School was last inspected by Education Scotland in February 2023. Pauline Walker is the current Rector, having taken on the role in 2014. She is the second woman to lead the school, following Jane Frith.

School University