Mortonhall

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Mortonhall is an area of Edinburgh, Scotland, on the south edge of the city. It is perhaps best known for its crematorium, which is considered to be an outstanding example of modern architecture.

The area is along the western end of the Frogston Road between Fairmilehead and Gilmerton; it is just to the south of Liberton and the Braid Hills. The area was the estate of Mortonhall House, a historic home, which since been converted into offices and flats. The immediate grounds of the Hall contain a caravan site and a garden centre. To the north, the land has been developed as Mortonhall Golf Club; to the east, there is a 1970s housing estate. The land to the south, on the far side of Frogston Road, is now mostly farmland.

[edit] History

The land of Morton and of Mortonhall, part of the Moor of Pentland, was originally granted to Sir Henry St Clair of Rosslyn[1] in 1317 by Robert I. In 1630, Morton came into the ownership of one William Rigg, whose son sold it to the Porterfield family of Comiston; it was later bought back by another son, and in 1789 it was sold to the Trotter family, who had acquired the Mortonhall estate in 1635.[2] They built a modern house on the land, Mortonhall House, in 1769, which was later improved in 1835.[3]

Areas of Edinburgh

[edit] References

  1. ^ St. Clair was one of the signatories of the Declaration of Arbroath; his brother was William Sinclair, Bishop of Dunkeld, and he was presumably related to William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness, builder of Roslin Chapel
  2. ^ History of Mortonhall
  3. ^ Liberton, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1846)
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