Edinburgh Past And Present - The Edinburgh Website

BRUNSTANE HOUSE - BRUNSTANE ROAD SOUTH

John Maitland 1st Duke of Lauderdale built this house in 1639 on the site of an earlier house which was built in the 1560s. An earlier tower known as Gilbertoun had originally stood on the site and was owned by the Crichton family who renamed it Brunstane after their tower in Penicuik. It was extended in 1672 with further extensions in 1733 when Lord Milton purchased the property. The house is now divided into 2 private houses.

CRAIGENTINNY HOUSE - LOANING ROAD

Built in the1500s for the Nisbets of Dean but significantly extended in the 1600s. It was bought by William Miller a wealthy merchant around 1760 and a new entrance was constructed on the north side. It was modernised again in 1849 by his grandson. There was a proposal to demolish the house but it was acquired by the council in 1936 and it became a community centre in 1937. In the second world war the east wing was destroyed by German bombs and the social work were later responsible for the modern extension in its place. It is still used today as a community education centre

DUDDINGSTON HOUSE - NEAR VILLAGE

James Hamilton the eighth earl of Abercorn commissioned Sir William Chambers to build him a summer house. James had purchased the estate in 1745 and the house was completed in 1768. The house was used to entertain guests, including many Scottish politicians, in the late 1700s. King Edward VII considered buying the estate in the 1860s but bought Sandringham instead. The House was in a fairly derelict state from 1914 but was used by the military in WWII when a prisoner of war camp was located on the grounds. The house deteriorated further. In 1959 the Abercorns sold it to Edward Gladstone the owner of Linton Lodge Hotel in East Linton and he restored the site and turned it into the Mansion House Hotel. It is now headquarters for a company of architects although the stable block beside it has been converted into flats and the grounds are a golf course

LOCHEND HOUSE - LOCHEND PARK

Lochend Castle was built on land owned by the Logans of Restalrig and was described in 1495 as the old tower. It was destroyed in the late 16th century and in 1816 the remains were demolished except for one small section. This section was incorporated into Lochend House which was built in 1820. The house now stands in Lochend Park and the back of the castle section can be seen from the loch below. A doocot from the original castle still stands in the park. It is now owned by the council and run as a children's centre

PRINCE CHARLIE'S HOUSE - DUDDINGSTON VILLAGE

Famed as the house in which Bonnie Prince Charlie held his council of war before the battle of Prestonpans in 1745. It was built in 1721 and was a tavern for many years. In 2008 the house was up for sale for offers around £400000

MARIONVILLE HOUSE - MARIONVILLE ROAD

Known as Lappet Ha when first built in mid 18th century this house initially belonged to two sisters who owned a millinery shop in the High Street. In the late 1700s it was acquired by a Captain James Macrae and the house entered a period of festivities and amateur dramatics. Plays were put on regularly in the private theatre and Marionville House was at the centre of fashionable society. This all came to an end in 1790 when Captain James killed Sir George Ramsay in a duel. In 1929 St Ninians Church acquired the grounds and the house is now preserved as a church house

PORTOBELLO TOWER - PROMENADE

John Cunningham, a lawyer, had this tower built in 1785 for use as a summer house. It contains many fragments of buildings from the Old Town such as the old Mercat Cross. In 1864 it was restored and incorporated into a house by Edinburgh publisher Hugh Paton – the house still stands next to the tower. It was an hotel at the start of the 20th century but is now owned by Mark Noble and incorporated into Nobles Amusements

NAIRNE LODGE - WILLOWBRAE ROAD

Built in the early 1800s the house was originally called Caroline Cottage after Carolina Oliphant who lived there. In 1806 she married her cousin Major Wiliam Nairne and they both lived in the house which was renamed Nairne Lodge. It has been an hotel for many years – now a Premier Inn. There has been a lot of alterations and extensions over the years and the current back extension dwarfs the original house.

LOUISEFIELD - WILLOWBRAE ROAD

Frenchman Louis Cauvin was a teacher of French in the city until 1818. He then rented land around the Duddingston area called Woodlands and built this mansion which he named Louisefield. He died in 1824 and left the house and an endowment so that it could be used to look after twenty boys. In 1833 the new Cauvins hospital opened. For a short time Robert Burns was one of the pupils. It is now flats for the elderly