Craigentinny ( gd, Creag an t-Sionnaich) is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

in the north-east of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, east of

Restalrig Restalrig () is a small residential suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland (historically, an estate and independent parish). It is located east of the city centre, west of Craigentinny and to the east of Lochend, both of which it overlaps. Restalrig ...

and close to

Portobello Portobello, Porto Bello, Porto Belo, Portabello, or Portabella may refer to: Places Brazil * Porto Belo Ireland * Portobello, Dublin * Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin formerly ''Portobello Barracks'' New Zealand * Portobello, New Zealand, on Ot ...

. Its name is a corruption of the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

''Creag an t-Sionnaich'' meaning "Foxrock" but more likely ''Creag an teine'' meaning "Fire Crag" or a beacon which is similar to Ardentinny in Argyll.

History

Previously moorland, the first major house was built in 1604. This house, Craigentinny Castle (later renamed Craigentinny House), gives its name to the wider area. It was built by James Nisbet of the Nisbet family associated more strongly with the

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

area of the city, as the occupants of Dean House. The land was bought from the Logan family of Restalrig. Through the Nisbet family it passed to

John Nisbet, Lord Dirleton John Nisbet, Lord Dirleton (c. 1609–1687) was a Scottish judge remembered for his prosecution of the Covenanters. Life He was the son of Sir Patrick Nisbet, Lord Eastbank, a Lord of Session, in turn son of Henry Nisbet of Dean, Lord Provo ...

around 1680. Through Lord Dirleton it passed to the Scott-Nisbes. After the death of John Scott-Nisbet in 1765 it was bought by a William Miller, a wealthy seedsman and

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

, living on the

Canongate The Canongate is a street and associated district in central Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. The street forms the main eastern length of the Royal Mile while the district is the main eastern section of Edinburgh's Old Town. It began ...

, who already owned property in the Craigentinny and Fillyside areas. When William was 90 he married a 50 year old woman and allegedly had a son: William Miller MP (whose grave lies nearby). In 1849/50 it was remodelled by

David Rhind David Rhind FRSE (1808 – 26 April 1883) was a prominent Scottish architect, mainly remembered for his public buildings, banks, churches and schools, most of which are now listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building or ...

for Christie Miller, William Miller's great nephew (who gives his name to Christiemiller Avenue).Buildings of Scotland: Edinburgh by Gifford, McWilliam and Walker In 1932 the Council developed part of the area with 520 houses and a block of six shops in three-storey tenements by

Ebenezer James MacRae Ebenezer James MacRae (18 January 1881 – 15 January 1951) was a Scottish architect serving as City Architect for Edinburgh for most of his active life. Life He was the son of Rev Alexander MacRae of the Free Church of Scotland. To family ...

and his team. The area contains churches and schools from the 1930s, including, Craigentinny Primary School on Loaning Road which was designed by Ebenezer James MacRae (1935), and St Christophers Church which is at the junction of Craigentinny Road and Craigentinny Avenue and was designed by

James MacLachlan James Archibald Findlay MacLachlan (1 April 1919 – 31 July 1943) was a Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War. MacLachlan was credited with 16 German and Italian aircraft shot down in approximately 250 mis ...

(1934). The most distinctive and unique structure in the

Craigentinny Marbles The Craigentinny Marbles is the mausoleum of William Henry Miller (1789-1848), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme, who retired to his estate at Craigentinny after losing his parliamentary seat in 1841. Miller ...

, a mausoleum to William Henry Miller (1789–1848) by

with

bas relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

s by Sir

Alfred Gatley Alfred Gatley (1816 – 28 June 1863) was an English sculptor. Life Alfred Gatley was born at Kerridge, about two miles from Macclesfield in Cheshire, in 1816. As a child he learned the use of a stonemason's tools from his father, who owned an ...

. The monument was subsumed by bungalows in the 1930s and now stands on Craigentinny Crescent.

Ethnicity

Other features

Craigentinny Golf Course is an 18-hole par 67 course lying on the north edge of the district close to Seafield and the

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meani ...

. Craigentinny train maintenance depot is located in the area.

References

{{Areas of Edinburgh Areas of Edinburgh Castles in Edinburgh