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Pilrig is an area of
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, the capital of
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. The name probably derives from the long field (rig) on which a
peel tower Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the England, English and Scotland, Scottish Border country, borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, mainly between the mid-14th century and ab ...
(pil/peel) stood. There is evidence of a peel tower situated on an area of higher ground above the
Water of Leith The Water of Leith (Scottish Gaelic: ''Uisge Lìte'') is the main river flowing through central Edinburgh, Scotland, that starts in the Pentlands Hills and flows into the port of Leith and then into the sea via the Firth of Forth. Name The ...
. Pilrig lies midway between
Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...
and Edinburgh, west of
Leith Walk Leith Walk is one of the longest streets in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the main road connecting the east end of the city centre to Leith. Forming most of the A900 road, it slopes downwards from Picardy Place at the south-western end of the str ...
. It is split by Pilrig Street, which marks the division between the EH6 and EH7 postcode districts (also the old division between Edinburgh and Leith hence the name of the bar opposite being originally the Boundary Bar, then City Limits and now known simply as "the Boundary"). Along the north-east side of Pilrig Street lies Pilrig Park, within which is Pilrig House, the heart of the former estate of the Balfour family. The 19th-century
Rosebank Cemetery Rosebank Cemetery is a 19th-century List of graveyards and cemeteries in Edinburgh, cemetery in Edinburgh, Scotland, at the junction of Pilrig Street and Broughton Road in the Pilrig area, close to the historical boundary of Leith. The cemeter ...
is located at the west end of Pilrig Street, at the junction of Broughton Road. __NOTOC__


History

Archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
excavations in 2006 revealed evidence of an ancient fort thought to be ''Somerset's Battery'' which is indicated at this location in the Petworth Map, the contemporary map of the area at the time of the
Siege of Leith The siege of Leith ended a twelve-year encampment of French troops at Leith, the port near Edinburgh, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland. French troops arrived in Scotland by invitation in 1548. In 1560 the French soldiers opposed Scottish supporter ...
in 1560 and on which the name ''Pelrygge'' appears immediately east of the fort. The archaeological finds are said to be a unique example of 16th century artillery siege works in the UK. Pilrig House, built in 1638 for Gilbert Kirkwood, appears to have been built at the fort's SW corner. Stonework in the basement walls suggest that the remains of a peel tower, from which the name Pilrig may derive, are incorporated in the house. The Balfour family were involved financially in the failed Darién expedition to colonise
Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
in the late 17th century. As part of the Treaty of Union, landed investors were reimbursed in full in 1707. The Balfour family profited from this and became local entrepreneurs, running, amongst other things, a local stagecoach service. Robert Balfour bought Pilrig House in 1709 with the proceeds, and remodelled the house at that time. The house and estate remained in their possession until the 20th century, their name being recalled by Balfour Street, which links the park to Leith Walk. One inhabitant of the house was Margaret Balfour, mother of
Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...
(fully, Robert Lewis ''Balfour'' Stevenson, with Lewis later changed to Louis). Stevenson would undoubtedly be very familiar with this house. The house is directly referred to in Stevenson's "Catriona" ( a plaque on the building refers to this) and may also be the inspiration for the "House of Shaws" in " Kidnapped", an association it shares with Cammo House and Cramond House. Peripheral estate land was gradually feued to buyers. In 1920, when Edinburgh absorbed the formerly independent Leith, the remaining ground was part of the agreed "settlement" to be given to Leith as a public park. However, this did not fully materialise until the death of the remaining spinster sisters who lived in the house. It was eventually taken over by the local authority just before World War II, after which the house served variously as a fireman's hostel and hostel for homeless women until it became disused in 1970. Following two devastating fires it was virtually razed to the ground, but, with the help of grant aid, was meticulously rebuilt in 1984. Various 19th-century additions were removed to return its exterior to its original form of 1710. At this stage (no original interior remaining) it was divided into 6 flats, and new houses were built between it and Bonnington Road. At roughly the same time a huge railway embankment, which used to enclose the park on its west and north sides, was flattened.


Pilrig Gibbet

A gibbet existed in the locality for many centuries. It was sited somewhere between the current junction of Pilrig Street and Leith Walk and Shrubhill House to the south. Infamous victims included
Major Weir Major Thomas Weir (1599 – 1670) was a Scottish soldier and presumed occultist, executed for Zoophilia, bestiality, incest and adultery. Weir was a Covenanter who professed a particularly strict form of Presbyterianism. His spoken prayers ...
in 1670, Robert Garnock in 1680, and Philip Stanfield in 1688 for the murder of his uncle Sir James Stanfield at Newmills House near North Berwick. Philip had been hung at the Mercat Cross on the Royal Mile, but his body was then placed in the gibbet cage at Pilrig, while his head was placed on a pike at the entrance to Haddington.


Geography

Although there are no defined boundaries, the area is generally accepted to include Pilrig Street, Pilrig Park, Balfour Street, Springfield, Dryden Street and Stead's Place. The Pilrig Conservation Area, created in 2013 by the
City of Edinburgh Council The City of Edinburgh Council (Scottish Gaelic: ''Comhairle Baile Dhùn Èideann'') is the local government authority covering the City of Edinburgh council area. Almost half of the council area is the built-up area of Edinburgh, capital of Sco ...
roughly uses this classification. The area is bordered by
Bonnington Bonnington is a dispersed village and civil parish on the northern edge of the Romney Marsh in Ashford District of Kent, England. The village is located to the south of the town of Ashford on the B2067 ( Hamstreet to Hythe road). Bonningt ...
to the west, Hopetoun and Shrubhill to the south,
Leith Walk Leith Walk is one of the longest streets in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the main road connecting the east end of the city centre to Leith. Forming most of the A900 road, it slopes downwards from Picardy Place at the south-western end of the str ...
to the east and other areas of
Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...
to the north. The houses in the area are widely varied, with terraced cottages and larger villas alongside tenements, variously from the Georgian and
Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...
periods, and a substantial number of 20th century flats and industrial-unit conversions. Inchkeith Court is a
tower block A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdiction. ...
situated alongside Spey Terrace. Shaw's Lane contains Edinburgh's first
colony houses The colony houses of Edinburgh were built between 1850 and 1910 as homes for artisans and skilled working-class families by philanthropic model dwellings companies. The first development was the Pilrig Model Buildings, near Leith Walk. Later dev ...
. The area features a variety of tree species thanks to the number of private gardens and public green spaces. The Pilrig Park Primary School caters for children with Additional Support Needs. The area is wholly encapsulated within the Leith Walk council ward, the
Edinburgh Northern and Leith Edinburgh Northern and Leith (Gaelic: ''Dùn Èideann a Tuath agus Lite'') is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament ( Holyrood) covering part of the council area of Edinburgh. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the ...
Scottish Parliament constituency and the Edinburgh North and Leith UK Parliament constituency.


Transport

Historically, Pilrig was the point where passengers were forced to disembark to change from Leith's electrified tram system to Edinburgh's cable tram system. This inconvenience was known as the "Pilrig Muddle" and existed until the late 1920s when Edinburgh electrified its system. The tram was replaced by buses in 1956. Pilrig is still well served by buses on
Leith Walk Leith Walk is one of the longest streets in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the main road connecting the east end of the city centre to Leith. Forming most of the A900 road, it slopes downwards from Picardy Place at the south-western end of the str ...
plus the service 11 on Pilrig Street. The area is also served at its eastern edge by the new Balfour Street
tram stop A tram stop, tram station, streetcar stop, or light rail station is a place designated for a tram, streetcar, or light rail vehicle to stop so passengers can board or alight it. Generally, tram stops share most characteristics of bus stops, bu ...
on Leith Walk, which opened to passengers in June 2023. The course of the railway line, which closed in 1955, is still discernable around the edge of Pilrig Park (formerly running behind Pilrig House) in the form of a strip of "no-mans-land" but the large embankment was largely flattened in the early 1980s. At the same time the railway bridges, carrying the railway a storey above road level, were removed at the Bonnington Road/ Newhaven Road junction and Jane Street/Leith Walk junction. The embankment still survives on the north edge of the industrial estate next to Steads Place.


Pilrig Church

Pilrig Church was one of the largest and most impressive churches built for the Free Church after the
Disruption of 1843 The Disruption of 1843, also known as the Great Disruption, was a schism in 1843 in which 450 evangelical ministers broke away from the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland. The main conflict was over whether the Church of Sc ...
. It was originally housed in a temporary building south of its current site. The current church was designed by Peddie & Kinnear and completed in 1863. An earlier church existed on the opposite side of the street designed by architect
David Cousin David Cousin (19 May 1809 – 14 August 1878) was a Scottish architect, landscape architect and Urban planning, planner, closely associated with early cemetery design and many prominent buildings in Edinburgh, Scotland, Edinburgh. From 1841 to ...
who was a member in the congregation. The land was gifted (and much of the cost paid) by the Balfours of Pilrig House.Gifford, McWilliam and Walker, ''Buildings of Scotland: Edinburgh'' The 46m spire is a local landmark. Notable ministers are: *
William Garden Blaikie William Garden Blaikie FRSE (5 February 1820, in Aberdeen – 11 June 1899) was a Scottish minister, writer, biographer, and temperance reformer. Life His father James Ogilvie Blaikie was the first Provost of Aberdeen following its reforme ...
FRSE (1844 – 1868) *Rev Dr James Calder Macphail DD from 1868 to 1895 *Rev Dr George Macaulay DD (b.1861) from 1898 to 1938


Notable residents

*Rev
Lewis Balfour Lewis Balfour (1777–1860) was a Scottish Church of Scotland minister and grandfather to the author Robert Louis Stevenson. Life Balfour was born on 30 August 1777 at Pilrig, Pilrig House between Edinburgh and Leith, the son of Jean Whytt ...
(1777-1860) born in Pilrig House *Rev Dr James Calder Macphail DD (1821-1908) was minister of Pilrig Church 1868 to 1895 (when it was a Free Church) and a pioneer photographer from 1843. He lived at the manse on Pilrig Street. *
Lady Nairn Carolina Nairne, Lady Nairne (née Oliphant; 16 August 1766 – 26 October 1845), also known as Baroness Nairne, was a Scottish songwriter. Many of her songs, such as, " Will ye no' come back again?", " Charlie is my Darling" , " The Rowan ...
songwriter, lived on Pilrig Street *
Jane Gordon, Duchess of Gordon Jane Gordon, Duchess of Gordon (''née'' Maxwell; 1748 or 1749 – 14 April 1812) was a Scottish Tories (British political party), Tory political hostess. Together with her husband Alexander, 4th Duke of Gordon, and son George, Marquess of Huntl ...
lived at Shrubhill House


References


External links


News about Pilrig on Greener LeithFriends of Pilrig Park
Areas of Edinburgh {{coord, 55, 57, 53.14, N, 3, 10, 45.91, W, display=title