Gilmerton
| Gilmerton | |
| Scottish Gaelic: Baile GhilleMhoire | |
 Gilmerton Post Office |
|
  Gilmerton |
|
| OS grid reference | NT2969 |
|---|---|
| – Edinburgh | 4 miles (6.4 km) |
| Council area | Edinburgh |
| Lieutenancy area | Edinburgh |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Edinburgh |
| Postcode district | EH17 |
| Dialling code | 0131 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Edinburgh South |
| Scottish Parliament | Edinburgh Eastern |
Coordinates: 55°54′25″N 3°08′04″W / 55.9069°N 3.1344°W
Gilmerton (Scottish Gaelic: Baile GhilleMhoire) is a suburb of Edinburgh, about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of the city centre.
The toponym "Gilmerton" is derived from a combination of Scottish Gaelic: Gille-Moire – a personal name and later surname meaning "Servant of [the Virgin] Mary", from which comes the first element, "Gilmer", – and Old English: ton meaning "settlement" or "farmstead". Versions of the name are recorded from the middle of the 12th century.
Gilmerton used to be a coal mining village. Below its centre is a series of shallow linked caves collectively called Gilmerton Cove. Traditionally they were attributed to the work of a local blacksmith, George Paterson, who supposedly completed excavations in 1724 and lived in the caves for several years, although there may be reasons to doubt this.
