The Hermitage of Braid is an area between the

Braid Hills The Braid Hills form an area towards the south-western edge of Edinburgh, Scotland. The hills themselves are largely open space. Housing in the area is mostly confined to detached villas, and some large terraced houses. The ''Braid Hills Hotel ...

and

Blackford Hill Blackford Hill is a hill in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. It is in the area of Blackford, between Morningside, and the Braid Hills. Together with the Hermitage of Braid, it comprises the Hermitage of Braid and Blackford Hill Loca ...

. The

Braid Burn The Braid Burn is a burn or stream in length that flows through south and east Edinburgh. Course The burn forms near Bonaly in the Pentland Hills south-west of the city, when the Bonaly and Howden burns that flow from the Pentlands meet. Fr ...

runs through it. It comprises part of the Hermitage of Braid and Blackford Hill Local Nature Reserve.

History

The Braid estate was the property of the de Brad family one of whom, Henri de Brad, was Sheriff of Edinburgh in the 12th century. A castle stood on the estate until the 18th century. In the 18th century the estate was purchased by the lawyer Charles Gordon of

Cluny Cluny () is a commune in the eastern French department of Saône-et-Loire, in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It is northwest of Mâcon. The town grew up around the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in ...

(died 1814), who commissioned the present house, known as Hermitage of Braid or Hermitage House, which stands on the north side of the Braid Burn. The house was built in 1785 by the Edinburgh architect

Robert Burn Robert Burn may refer to: * Robert Burn (classicist) (1829–1904), English classical scholar and archaeologist * Robert Burn (naturalist) (born 1937), Australian naturalist and citizen scientist * Robert Scott Burn (1825–1901), Scottish engine ...

. The castellated Gothic style may have been influenced by the work of

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his ...

. Charles Gordon's son was the soldier and MP Colonel John Gordon (c.1776–1858). The house is a category A

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. In 1937 the then owner of the Hermitage, John McDougal, gifted the land to the city for use as a public park. A pillar in the grounds records the gift, and the subsequent opening of the park on 10 June 1938 by Lord Provost Sir Louis Gumley. The house is now a visitor centre for the nature reserve, and offices of the City of Edinburgh Council's Countryside Natural Heritage Service.

References

External links

*
Friends of Hermitage of Braid & Blackford Hill
{{coord, 55.9199, N, 3.2009, W, region:GB, display=title Parks and commons in Edinburgh Local nature reserves in Scotland Category A listed buildings in Edinburgh Listed houses in Scotland