The Grange, Edinburgh
Encyclopedia
The Grange is a suburb of Edinburgh
, about one and a half miles south of the city centre, with Morningside
and Greenhill
to the west and Newington
to the east. It is a conservation area
characterised by large late Victorian
stone-built villas, often with very large gardens. Many have now been sub-divided into flats, with further flats often being built in the grounds.
and King Edgar
, as church lands attached to St. Giles parish church in Edinburgh, the king retaining the superiority. On June 16, 1376, King Robert II
granted the superiority of the barony and lands of St Giles to his eldest son, John, Earl of Carrick, Steward of Scotland. In 1391 the estate was conferred upon the Wardlaw family.
On October 29, 1506, St Giles Grange passed to John Cant, a Burgess of Edinburgh, and his spouse Agnes Carkettle, and in 1517 they granted the use of 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) of land to the nuns of St Catherine of Sienna. On March 19, 1691 a John Cant sold St Giles Grange in its entirety to William Dick. It is interesting to note that at that time the 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) previously feued to the nuns was now in the possession of Sir John Napier
, the famous inventor of logarithms. When Isabel Dick, the heiress, married Sir Andrew Lauder, 5th Baronet of Fountainhall, in 1731, The Grange passed to him.
The original tower house
appears to be of a very early date possibly the 13th century, ornamented with two turrets and a battlemented roof; its position was isolated at the eastern end of the Burgh Muir
, which at that time consisted of waste tracts of moorland and morass, stretching out southward as far as the Braid Hills
and eastward to St. Leonard's Crags.
The mansion
, The Grange House, was enlarged over the centuries, a major restoration being carried out by Sir Thomas Dick Lauder
, Bt. On May 16, 1836, Lord Cockburn recorded in his diary: "There was an annular eclipse of the sun yesterday afternoon....it was a beautiful spectacle......I was on the top of the tower at The Grange House, with Sir Thomas Dick Lauder and his family."
The house survived until 1936 when it was demolished to make way for flats. Stone wyvern
s from its gateposts were put at the entrance to a stretch of Lover's Loan, a centuries-old path which was preserved in a late 19th century redevelopment and marked out with high stone walls separating it from the gardens on either side. At one point the path borders the Grange Cemetery
where various well-known people are buried, including Sir Thomas Dick Lauder
, Hugh Miller
, and Thomas Chalmers
.
, built gradually upon the lands of The Grange estate
— still owned by the Dick Lauder
family. Some of the Victorian villas still retain substantial mature trees and gardens which pre-date the housing. In 1835 Earl Grey
(of Reform Bill fame) stayed with Sir Thomas Dick Lauder at The Grange House, and commemorated his visit by planting an oak-tree in a conspicuous spot in The Avenue, upon the bank of the north side, not very far from the ivy-clad arch. It was called 'Earl Grey's Oak' and was still healthy in 1898. It is not known if it has survived.
Within the area lies the campus of the Astley Ainslie Hospital
.
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...
, about one and a half miles south of the city centre, with Morningside
Morningside, Edinburgh
Morningside is a district in the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is south of the areas of Bruntsfield, Burghmuirhead ; south-west of Marchmont, and south-east of Merchiston...
and Greenhill
Greenhill, Edinburgh
Greenhill is a small area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.South-west of the city centre, Greenhill is normally taken to be part of Bruntsfield, which continues to the north. Greenhill borders Marchmont and The Grange to the east, Morningside to the south, and Merchiston is west, beyond Holy...
to the west and Newington
Newington, Edinburgh
Newington is an area of Edinburgh, Scotland, about 15 to 20 minutes walk south of the city centre, the Royal Mile and Princes Street.It is the easternmost district of the area formerly covered by the Burgh Muir, gifted to the City by David I in the 12th Century...
to the east. It is a conservation area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
characterised by large late Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
stone-built villas, often with very large gardens. Many have now been sub-divided into flats, with further flats often being built in the grounds.
Superiors
There are mentions of 'Sanct-Geill-Grange' in charters of King DavidDavid I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
and King Edgar
Edgar of Scotland
Edgar or Étgar mac Maíl Choluim , nicknamed Probus, "the Valiant" , was king of Alba from 1097 to 1107...
, as church lands attached to St. Giles parish church in Edinburgh, the king retaining the superiority. On June 16, 1376, King Robert II
Robert II of Scotland
Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
granted the superiority of the barony and lands of St Giles to his eldest son, John, Earl of Carrick, Steward of Scotland. In 1391 the estate was conferred upon the Wardlaw family.
On October 29, 1506, St Giles Grange passed to John Cant, a Burgess of Edinburgh, and his spouse Agnes Carkettle, and in 1517 they granted the use of 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) of land to the nuns of St Catherine of Sienna. On March 19, 1691 a John Cant sold St Giles Grange in its entirety to William Dick. It is interesting to note that at that time the 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) previously feued to the nuns was now in the possession of Sir John Napier
John Napier
John Napier of Merchiston – also signed as Neper, Nepair – named Marvellous Merchiston, was a Scottish mathematician, physicist, astronomer & astrologer, and also the 8th Laird of Merchistoun. He was the son of Sir Archibald Napier of Merchiston. John Napier is most renowned as the discoverer...
, the famous inventor of logarithms. When Isabel Dick, the heiress, married Sir Andrew Lauder, 5th Baronet of Fountainhall, in 1731, The Grange passed to him.
Grange House
Tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...
appears to be of a very early date possibly the 13th century, ornamented with two turrets and a battlemented roof; its position was isolated at the eastern end of the Burgh Muir
Burgh Muir
The Burgh Muir was an area to the south of Edinburgh city centre upon which much of the southern portion of the city now rests, following expansions of the 18th and 19th centuries...
, which at that time consisted of waste tracts of moorland and morass, stretching out southward as far as the Braid Hills
Braid Hills
The Braid Hills form an area towards the south-western edge of Edinburgh, Scotland.The hills themselves are largely open space. Housing in the area is mostly confined to detached villas, and some large terraced houses...
and eastward to St. Leonard's Crags.
The mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
, The Grange House, was enlarged over the centuries, a major restoration being carried out by Sir Thomas Dick Lauder
Thomas Dick Lauder
Sir Thomas Dick Lauder of Fountainhall, 7th Baronet, FRSE FSA was a Scottish author. He served as Secretary to the Board of Manufactures , on the Herring Fisheries Board, at the Royal Institution for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts, and as Deputy Lieutenant of both counties of Moray and...
, Bt. On May 16, 1836, Lord Cockburn recorded in his diary: "There was an annular eclipse of the sun yesterday afternoon....it was a beautiful spectacle......I was on the top of the tower at The Grange House, with Sir Thomas Dick Lauder and his family."
The house survived until 1936 when it was demolished to make way for flats. Stone wyvern
Wyvern
A wyvern or wivern is a legendary winged reptilian creature with a dragon's head, two legs , and a barbed tail. The wyvern is found in heraldry. There exists a purely sea-dwelling variant, termed the Sea-Wyvern which has a fish tail in place of a barbed dragon's tail...
s from its gateposts were put at the entrance to a stretch of Lover's Loan, a centuries-old path which was preserved in a late 19th century redevelopment and marked out with high stone walls separating it from the gardens on either side. At one point the path borders the Grange Cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
where various well-known people are buried, including Sir Thomas Dick Lauder
Thomas Dick Lauder
Sir Thomas Dick Lauder of Fountainhall, 7th Baronet, FRSE FSA was a Scottish author. He served as Secretary to the Board of Manufactures , on the Herring Fisheries Board, at the Royal Institution for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts, and as Deputy Lieutenant of both counties of Moray and...
, Hugh Miller
Hugh Miller
Hugh Miller was a self-taught Scottish geologist and writer, folklorist and an evangelical Christian.- Life and work :Born in Cromarty, he was educated in a parish school where he reportedly showed a love of reading. At 17 he was apprenticed to a stonemason, and his work in quarries, together with...
, and Thomas Chalmers
Thomas Chalmers
Thomas Chalmers , Scottish mathematician, political economist, divine and a leader of the Free Church of Scotland, was born at Anstruther in Fife.-Overview:...
.
City arrives
From the 1860s The Grange was developed as an early suburbSuburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
, built gradually upon the lands of The Grange estate
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
— still owned by the Dick Lauder
Thomas Dick Lauder
Sir Thomas Dick Lauder of Fountainhall, 7th Baronet, FRSE FSA was a Scottish author. He served as Secretary to the Board of Manufactures , on the Herring Fisheries Board, at the Royal Institution for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts, and as Deputy Lieutenant of both counties of Moray and...
family. Some of the Victorian villas still retain substantial mature trees and gardens which pre-date the housing. In 1835 Earl Grey
Earl Grey
Earl Grey is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1806 for General Charles Grey, 1st Baron Grey. He had already been created Baron Grey, of Howick in the County of Northumberland, in 1801, and was made Viscount Howick, in the County of Northumberland, at the same time as...
(of Reform Bill fame) stayed with Sir Thomas Dick Lauder at The Grange House, and commemorated his visit by planting an oak-tree in a conspicuous spot in The Avenue, upon the bank of the north side, not very far from the ivy-clad arch. It was called 'Earl Grey's Oak' and was still healthy in 1898. It is not known if it has survived.
Within the area lies the campus of the Astley Ainslie Hospital
NHS Lothian
NHS Lothian is one of the fourteen regions of NHS Scotland. It provides healthcare services in the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Mid Lothian and West Lothian areas. Its headquarters are at Waverley Gate, Edinburgh-Headquarters:...
.