Ardmillan ( gd, Aird a' Mhaolain, IPA: �aːɾʲtʲˈaˈvɯːɫ̪ɪn is a mainly residential suburb of

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

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. The area developed during the mid to late

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

as Edinburgh expanded and many of the present tenement flats and houses date from this era. The area is bisected by the

A70 road The A70 road is a major road in Scotland, United Kingdom . It runs a total of from Edinburgh to Ayr. It begins as Dalry Road at the Haymarket, Edinburgh junction with the A8, passing near but not through Lanark and ending as Miller Road in Ayr ...

and its north-west edge is marked by the Shotts railway line. The area has several pubs, small shops, churches and a cemetery.

Location

The boundary north of Ardmillan is bordered by the area of Dalry. To the west is the area of

Gorgie Gorgie ( ) is a densely populated area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located in the west of the city and borders Murrayfield, Ardmillan and Dalry. Name The name is thought to be Brythonic in origin. Early forms suggest it derives from ''gor g ...

, and to the east is the area of

Fountainbridge Fountainbridge ( gd, Drochaid an Fhuarain) is an area of Edinburgh, Scotland, a short distance west of the city centre, adjoining Tollcross with East Fountainbridge and West Port to the east, Polwarth to the west and south, Dalry and Haymar ...

. Shandon, Polwarth and North Merchiston are to the south of Ardmillan.

Name

The name is from the Court of Session judge, James Craufurd, Lord Ardmillan, who took his name from Ardmillan Castle near

Girvan Girvan ( gd, Inbhir Gharbhain, "mouth of the River Girvan") is a burgh and harbour town in Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Girvan is situated on the east coast of the Firth of Clyde, with a population of about 6,450. It lies south of Ay ...

. The name means the "high bare place" in

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 ...

(''Aird a' Mhaolain'').

History and architecture

The area contains many tenements as well as "Diggers" pub, so called because the gravediggers from the large graveyard in the Ardmillan-Dalry area would go in there after work. Another pub in the area, the Caledonian Sample Room, is often mistakenly assumed to be owned by the nearby Caledonian Brewery (actually it is owned by

Punch Taverns Punch Pubs & Co is a pub and bar operator in the United Kingdom, with around 1,300 leased pubs. It is headquartered in the traditional brewing centre of Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange as a constit ...

). Ardmillan has two churches. The first is St Michael's Parish Church, which is an ecumenical church. Building of the church began in 1879 and was completed for services in 1883. There is also an old congregation of

Wesleyan Methodists The Wesleyan Church is a Methodist Christian denomination aligned with the holiness movement. Wesleyan Church may also refer to: * Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia, the Australian branch of the Wesleyan Church Denominations * Allegheny We ...

in the area. Ardmillan is also home to a large, modern health centre called Ardmillan House. The health centre is the location of the South East Scotland Breast Screening Centre. Ulmus minor

On the southern boundary with North Merchiston is a large

public park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to r ...

- Harrison Park. The origins of the park lie with a public purchase of land by

Edinburgh City Council 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 ...

in 1886, with additional land expanding the park being bought in 1930.

North Merchiston Cemetery

North Merchiston Cemetery is a garden cemetery that is located in the western part of Ardmillan, west of Ardmillan Terrace and north of Slateford Road. The cemetery was laid out in 1881 and primarily contains late 19th century and early 20th century burials, including over 120

war graves War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regu ...

of Armed Forces personnel. Graves include Charles Thomas Kennedy and James Davis, both recipients of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, and footballers Walter Fairgrieve, Bobby Walker and Alex Walker. The cemetery was under private ownership until the early 1990s when it was acquired by the council due to safety concerns over its neglected state. It was originally built to ease overcrowding at the nearby Dalry cemetery.

References

{{Areas of Edinburgh Areas of Edinburgh