Moredun & The Inch

Origin of Name: Originally known as Gutters or Goodtrees, it was named Moredun, after a hill in Perthshire, in 1769 when Baron Moncreiff purchased the estate. Gutters is probably a British name meaning place at the watercourse.
The Inch is British or possibly Scots Gaelic, Innis meaning haugh or riverside meadow.

Position: Craigmillar/Little France to the east, Newington to the north, Liberton to the west and Gilmerton to the south

Historical Notes: Moredun was called Gutters in 1406 and after various forms of spelling, became Goodtrees by 1663 and Moredun in 1769. Gutters/Moredun House and estate belonged to the Herries family in the 14th and 15th centuries then owned by Lord Somerville who also owned nearby mansion The Drum and half of Gilmerton. There were several changes in ownership until 1888 when a John Welsh took over and restored the mansion. Moredun House was situated in a “beautiful wooded park with rustic bridges and charming walks”. The house was sited where the present day Eventide nursing home is today and Moredun Mill was sited at present day Guardswell Crescent, Guardswell being the mill's former name. In 1933 private housing was begun at Moredun Park Road & Gardens and between 1947 and 1967 large scale public and private housing continued including several large tower blocks that still exist today.
Modern day Inch was once part of Nether Liberton and Inch house was once the main house of the area. It was also known as Inch Place and King's Inch and was granted to Holyrood Abbey in 1450. The house was at one time surrounded by water with a drawbridge over a moat. The Winram family owned the estate in the early 1600s but the Gilmours of Craigmillar aquired it around 1660 and by the late 1700s had made it their main home. Large scale building of council housing began on the estate and neighbouring farm in the early 1950s and all the streets were named after places and characters from Sir Walter Scott.

Today: Two residential areas with a mix of housing in both areas from private housing to council high rises. There are a few local shops in both areas and a library at Moredun and also a large supermarket. Cameron Toll shopping centre is just to the north of The Inch. Liberton Golf Course sits between the 2 areas and there is the large Inch park complete with historic house now used for community purposes

Did You Know: Between 1760 and 1785 the garden of Moredun House was noted as being the richest in the country and grew exotic fruits such as pineapples and vines in hot houses. The House was demolished around 1920.

Inch House was sold to Edinburgh Council in 1946 and used as a primary school. It was turned into a community centre in 1968. A west wing was added by the Gilmours in the 18th century and in 1891 the house was remodelled. In 1745 government troops were stationed in the house while fighting the Jacobite rising.

Large scale building of temporary prefab housing began in Moredun in 1947 to help the housing shortage after WWII. Despite an effort by the council to remove the last of them in the 1990s, a few still remain.