Craigmillar Castle

The following is from the Historic Environment Scotland Gardens and Designed Landscapes Inventory. For the most up-to-date Inventory entry, please visit the Historic Environment Scotland website:

Late medieval castle site, including the remains of 16th century formal terraced castle gardens and the earthworks of a fishpond. Surrounded by parkland, the ruins were a focus of an 18th/19th century romantic landscape.

Location and Setting

Craigmillar Castle lies on the south-eastern urban fringe of Edinburgh, 4km (2.5 miles) from central Edinburgh on the north side of the Old Dalkeith Road (A68) and within Edinburgh's designated Green Belt. Despite its proximity to the city, its immediate setting is rural in character with major urban development affecting the castle environs to the north. The Old Dalkeith Road marks the site boundary on the south-west. Roads to Duddingston and Holyrood form the south-eastern and north-eastern boundaries. To the west the Inch estate, once contiguous with the Craigmillar policies, is now separated from it by the A68. The site of the new Edinburgh Royal Infirmary immediately to the south-east of Craigmillar has closed the last remaining, open, rural aspect to the site.

Craigmillar Castle stands on top of a minor ridge between Arthur's Seat and the Edmonstone ridge, directly on a sandstone outcrop, the base of its south walls lying on a 7-10m high crag. This elevated position commands long-distance views dominated to the north-west by Arthur's Seat (2.5km away) and Salisbury Crags. The sequence of other panoramic views and prominent eye-catching features are Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town, Prestonfield House in its landscape setting (q.v. Inventory, Volume 5, p.193), Duddingston Church and glimpses of the loch, village and Duddingston House policies (q.v. Inventory, Volume 5, p.77), the Fife coast and the East Neuk across the Firth of Forth ' including Inchkeith, the East Lothian coast with the Bass Rock, North Berwick Law and the sands of Aberlady Bay, Traprain Law protruding over the Tranent ridge, the Lammermuir Hills forming the eastern skyline, Edmonstone House, park and ridge to the south-east with the Moorfoot Hills forming the skyline, views to the south-west of the Pentland Hills and views to the Braid Hills, Blackford Hill and Corstorphine Hill.

Views of Craigmillar are equally important, its visual prominence as a picturesque landmark within the environs of Edinburgh being long recognised and appreciated. A principle view is that gained from Arthur's Seat and there are panoramic views of the whole of Craigmillar Castle Park from the Queen's Drive in Holyrood Park. Other significant landscape views are seen from Niddrie Park, now a public park, and from the parkland at Edmonstone House where Craigmillar Castle appears juxtaposed with Edinburgh Castle.

The existence of a barony at Craigmillar is recorded from 1374 when the lands at Craigmillar were acquired by the Preston family, but the detailed boundary of the estate is unknown. The King's Meadow adjacent to the Braid Burn to the north of the castle, and lying between Bridgend and Peffermill is recorded before 1536, and lay within the centre of King James V's hunting forest of Drumselch.

Roy's Survey (1747-55) gives no indication of an extensive designed landscape at Craigmillar, showing only agricultural land in the form of runrigs beyond the confines of the castle. Knox's map (1812) clearly shows blocks of planting around the castle for the first time, which mirror the present woodland areas.

Architectural Features

Five distinct building periods can be discerned at Craigmillar Castle. An early 15th century tower house forms the nucleus of the castle, followed by the curtain wall and projecting corner towers with related courtyard buildings. In the 16th century the east range was rebuilt, and in 1660 the castle became the property of the Gilmour family who rebuilt the west range. A Sundial, dated 1660, the year the Gilmours acquired Craigmillar, stood near the castle until 1894 when the family moved it to The Inch. It was square-headed with ball finial decoration on a square column with carved panels. An inscription read 'This dial stood at Craigmillar, falling into ruin it was re-erected here with needful additions, AD 1894'; where it remained until c.1980 but is now lost. A Doocot is situated in the angle of the north curtain wall. A drystone dyke surrounds the area around the fishpond. Drystone-faced banks also enclose the woodlands. Note should be taken of the drystone dykes along Craigmillar Castle Road.

Drives and Approaches

Little is known of the earlier approaches to Craigmillar. However, Roy's Survey (1747-55) shows a lane to the north of the castle, through what may be the site of the old castletoun, leading to Peffermill. The current approach leads directly off Craigmillar Castle Road to the east of the castle where a crow-stepped stone lodge was built in the 19th century.

Parkland

Originating in a Medieval deer park, the Castle park has long been a source of good building stone used at Craigmillar, Holyrood Palace and elsewhere in the locality. The eight quarries in the park were all exploited at various times between the early 15th to 19th centuries. Blocks of woodland now mask them.

The parkland planting around the castle has degenerated over the years. Although Knox's map (1812) indicates parkland planting, the main period of planting seems to belong to the early-mid 19th century. The New Statistical Account (1845) states that The grounds have been much ornamented by clumps of beautiful trees' which may refer to the five woodland blocks which still exist. The planting includes sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) to the west of the castle. Other trees in the parkland and on the perimeters of the woodland include oak (Quercus robur), ash (Fraximus excelsior), rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) and holly (Ilex aquifolium).

Woodland

The woodland blocks which appear to have been early 19th century plantings (Knox, 1812) still survive in the landscape. They all enclose former quarries and have been skilfully positioned so as to exploit scenic views to and from the site.

Originally managed as coppiced woodland, they are protected by boundary banks with drystone facings, to prevent grazing stock from decimating them. The predominant species planted appear to have benn wych elm (Ulmus glabra) and sycamore, although most of the blocks have been replanted to varying extents.

The largest woodland, Quarry Wood to the north-east of the castle, may have originated in the 18th century. Little remains of its original planting due to the late 19th century use of the quarry floor as a fireworks factory (1893, OS 25"), but it has an important landscape function in framing views to Arthur's Seat and Edinburgh Castle.

West Wood, to the south-west of the castle, survives in relatively good condition and consists primarily of coppice elm with plantings of yew, holly and a variety of shrubs including box, Berberis, Rhododendron and rambling roses. Leopard's bane (Doronicum pardalianches), snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) and violets (Viola riviniana) carpet the ground. These all survive from the late 19th century picturesque planting associated with[ [The Laird's Walk, an ornamental walk leading from The Inch to the picturesque ruins of Craigmillar Castle, and linking West Wood with South Wood. South Wood, directly to the south of the castle lies on a plateau and is mostly sycamore coppice, resulting in a relatively poor ground flora. In the late 19th century the planting included briars and rambling roses.[ [East Wood lying to the east on the park boundary was also part of the Laird's Walk, but no longer exists.[ [Dalkeith Road Wood, a broad belt c 115m wide, lies on the south-west parkland boundary, adjacent to the Old Dalkeith Road. At its western end it merges with the[ [Yew Walk, developed between 1877-93 which is planted with common yew, Irish yew (Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata'), cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), snowberry (Symphoricarpus racemosus), holly and spotted laurel (Aucuba japonica 'Variegata'). The yews are backed by plantings of Norway maple which contrast with the yews in autumn. This formed part of what was Lady Susan's Walk, now under housing with the Inch estate, and The Laird's Walk (McGowan Associates, 1999).

Hawkhill Wood lies to the east of Craigmillar Castle Road on an outlying ridge. It has a similar origin to the other woodland and serves to frame views of Craigmillar Castle from the east.

Wild celery (Apium graveolens) is to be found growing profusely in the area around the castle, particularly on the lane verges. Other species to be found in the woodland areas include ash, common lime (Tilia x europaea), sycamore, and horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum). Other perennial plants include Lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria), Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum), and Bird's-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus).

The Gardens

Evidence of the 16th century gardens is scant but the West and East Gardens probably delineate the former extent of the castle gardens. Both the West Garden and the East Garden situated to either side of the castle, are terraced, square compartments. The West Garden is a flat square of grass 33m x 33m, with a raised platform on its north side which may have supported a building range. Enclosed on its north, east and partially, west sides by walls, the garden is open on its south side where there are views from the 1.5-2.4m high terrace over the P-shaped fishpond.

Designed for both ornament and utility the P-shaped pond is the most important archaeological, garden feature at Craigmillar. It is nationally significant due to its rarity, and important in the landscape because of its relationship to viewing points within the gardens. It stands within the South Field, a large drystone walled field (also probably 16th century), with the remains of two viewing towers at its southern corners. Large irregular banks formed from the excavation of the pond surrounds it on all sides. The pond, 65m long and 20m broad, aligned roughly NNW to SSE, is deeper at its southern end where the bedrock is exposed, and where there are two islands situated within the loop of the letter P.

The leet at its southern end was probably fed by a spring. An early 18th century engraving shows a stone wall approximately at the south-west bank of the pond giving the impression that at some time the pond has been enclosed (Grose, 1789). A simple flight of steps is sited on the axis of the pond and leads to the west terrace. A conjectural reconstruction to a 17th century date shows these stone steps with stone balusters and a broad stone handrail (MacGibbon and Ross, 1887). A timber gallery which projected from the south side of the first floor of the 17th century extension probably acted as a viewing platform overlooking the pond.

The East Garden measuring 27m x 28m is laid to grass, with the family chapel dating from c.1520 in the north-east corner. The northern wall of the garden gives access into the outer court, while the other walls mean that the garden is visually enclosed on all sides.

On the south side of the castle is the South Terrace, stretching from the west curtain tower for approximately 85m to the east of the castle. About 1.0m high and situated some 5-8m from the south face of the crag and castle walls, it is formed by a drystone wall and gives views out over the South Field and fishpond.