Juniper Green is a village on the outskirts of

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, situated about south-west of the city centre. It bridges the city bypass, and extends along the foothills of the Pentlands. It is bordered by Colinton to the east, Baberton immediately to the north, and Currie to the south-west. It centres on Lanark Road, the main route leading out south-west of Edinburgh into the

Central Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothian an ...

. The village stands on an elevated ridge above the Water of Leith to its south. Administratively, Juniper Green falls within the jurisdiction of the

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having been officially absorbed into the city in 1920.

History

Juniper Green's earliest mention is in the Kirk records of Colinton in 1707. However, it is largely called Curriemuirend up until the end of the 18th century and the area only really developed as a village from around 1810. Indeed Adair's map published in 1735 shows no sign of the village, nor does Laurie's more accurate map of 1766. Only one house in the village (Gowanlea) appears to predate 1810. Traditionally, its major industries were paper and snuff set in the river valley of the Water of Leith. Only with the building of the Balerno line with a station serving the village did it begin to prosper and expand. The line's closure in 1955 re-distanced the village from the city centre. Juniper Green, along with the rest of Colinton

Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

, was amalgamated into Edinburgh from 1 November 1920. The 300th anniversary of Juniper Green was celebrated throughout 2007 and the community supported many social and environmental improvement projects. The opportunity was also taken to record locals' reminiscences and collect photographs, which have been archived on the Juniper Green Village Association website. In the same year, the area was incorporated into the new Pentland Hills multi-member ward of the council.

Buildings

*Juniper Green Parish Church (formerly the Free Church) built 1879, by James Graham Fairley.

Education

Juniper Green is served by an eponymous Primary School (designed in 1910 by John Alexander Carfrae), and nearby Currie High School.

Culture and attractions

Today Juniper Green is primarily a dormitory suburb of Edinburgh with its own shops, including, a bike repair centre, an opticians, a chemist, two pubs, a fish and chip shop, an Italian restaurant, as well as a large selection of hairdressers. Leisure facilities include a golf course, bowling club and tennis club. The area is served by Juniper Green parish church.

Local newspaper

''C&B News'' (originally Currie & Balerno News) is the community news magazine covering Juniper Green, as well as nearby Currie, Balerno, Baberton Mains and Colinton. Published 10 times a year, the publication features local news, reports from local groups/organisations, political representatives, and Community Councils, plus regular coverage of local planning applications and developments.

Transport

The A70 runs through the area and Juniper Green is served by the 44, 45 and 44N bus routes, which are operated by

Lothian Buses Lothian Buses is a major bus operator based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the largest municipal bus company in the United Kingdom: the City of Edinburgh Council (through Transport for Edinburgh) owns 91%, Midlothian Council 5%, East Lothi ...

. It also has access to Livingston through Blue Bus service 24 funded by West Lothian Council. The 33 bus service is also available via a connecting footpath to

Baberton Mains Baberton is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is south-west of the Edinburgh City Bypass and Wester Hailes and south of the Shotts Line railway line. The village of Juniper Green is situated to the south of Baberton and Baberton ...

Community Council

The Juniper Green Community Council was inaugurated in November 2009.

Conservation Area

Juniper Green Conservation Area is situated to the west of Edinburgh around the main Lanark Road. The conservation area is centred on the historic core of Juniper Green, one of a number of villages which were absorbed into the

City of Edinburgh The City of Edinburgh Council is the local government authority for the city of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. With a population of in mid-2019, it is the second most populous local authority area in Scotland. In its current form, the counci ...

. A recognisable village character still remains and the conservation area status was originally designated on 19 November 1993 to protect that character. The boundary was extended in March 2007.Conservation Appraisal
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Famous residents

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher. A leading writer of the Victorian era, he exerted a profound influence on 19th-century art, literature and philosophy. Born in Ecclefechan, ...

(1795–1881) and his wife Jane Welsh Carlyle - rented the house "Mount Pleasant" at 502, Lanark Road * David Henry (1888–1963) - New Zealand industrialist and philanthropist was born here *

Edwin G Lucas Edwin G Lucas (30 March 1911 – 9 December 1990) was a Scottish Modernist artist. He was an amateur, self-taught apart from evening classes at Edinburgh College of Art, but during the period 1939-1952 he produced Surrealist works that are said ...

(1911-1990) - surrealist artist * Willie Merrilees (1898–1984) - at one time Scotland's most famous policeman * James Murray (d.1634) - one of the first men in Scotland to be called an architect *

Berrick Saul Samuel Berrick Saul (30 October 1924 – 24 May 2016) was Vice-Chancellor of the University of York from 1979 to 1993.

(1924-2016) - Professor of

Economic History Economic history is the academic learning of economies or economic events of the past. Research is conducted using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and the application of economic theory to historical situations and i ...

and later

Vice Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

of the

University of York The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for post-nominals) is a collegiate research university, located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, co ...

* Michael Woodruff (1911-2001) - performed the first kidney transplant in the United Kingdom, former professor of surgery at the University of Edinburgh

References

External links

Friends of Curriemuirend Park
{{authority control Areas of Edinburgh Villages in Edinburgh council area