Balgreen ( or ) is a suburb of

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, located approximately two miles west of the city centre, most commonly known for its primary school, Balgreen Primary. It is located to the west of

Murrayfield Murrayfield is an area to the west of Edinburgh city centre in Scotland. It is to the east of Corstorphine and north of Balgreen, Saughtonhall and Roseburn. The A8 road (Scotland), A8 road runs east–west through the south of the area. Murra ...

and Saughtonhall, to the east of Corstorphine, and to the north of

Gorgie Gorgie ( ) is a densely populated area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located to the west of the city centre, and borders Murrayfield, Ardmillan and Dalry, Edinburgh, Dalry. Name The name is thought to be British language (Celtic), Brythonic in ...

. It is bound to the north by Corstorphine Hill, to the west by Carrick Knowe Golf Course, and roughly to the east by

Water of Leith The Water of Leith (Scottish Gaelic: ''Uisge Lìte'') is the main river flowing through central Edinburgh, Scotland, that starts in the Pentlands Hills and flows into the port of Leith and then into the sea via the Firth of Forth. Name The ...

.Balgreen

Gazetteer for Scotland The ''Gazetteer for Scotland'' is a gazetteer covering the geography, history and people of Scotland. It was conceived in 1995 by Bruce Gittings of the University of Edinburgh and David Munro of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, and co ...

Etymology

The name comes from Balgreen House once situated where Balgreen School now stands and is probably derived from

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

, perhaps being ''Baile na Grèine'' (sunny farm ) or ''Baile Griain'' (gravel farm) from the gravel on the riverbank, or perhaps from ''Baile Grianain ''(farm of the sunny enclosure). It does not, as some etymologies have suggested, come from "Ball Green". The Gaelic "Bal-" (farm) prefix can also be found in Balerno and is not unusual in the area. The placename Balgreen is also found near Murieston and

Ecclesmachan Ecclesmachan ( Gaelic: ''Eaglais Mhachain'') ( Welsh: ''Eglwys Machan'') (NT058736) is an historic village in West Lothian. It lies just north of Uphall on the B8046 road and just south of Threemiletown. The village is notable for its medieva ...

West Lothian West Lothian (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, bordering (in a clockwise direction) the City of Edinburgh council area, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk (council area), Falkirk. The modern counci ...

Amenities

The Water of Leith flows through here with the Water of Leith Walkway connecting the area to Stockbridge to the north east and Colinton and Balerno to the south west. There is also a library, primary school, and a large park here, with facilities for football (soccer) etc., and a children's playpark.

Transport

Balgreen was served by Balgreen Halt railway station which was closed in 1968

Tram

Balgreen tram stop is located off Balgreen Road, adjacently north of the main Glasgow to Edinburgh railway line.

Buses

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 Lothia ...

* 12,26,31 (Corstorphine Road) * 1,2,22,30 (Western Approach Road) * 38 (Balgreen Road/ Saughtonhall Drive)

McGill's Scotland East

* 21 and 22 (Corstorphine Road)

Notable residents

* William Stevenson (1772–1829), Scottish nonconformist preacher and writer, farmed in this area.

References

* Cant, Michael, ''Villages of Edinburgh'' volumes 1 & 2, John Donald Publishers Ltd., Edinburgh, 1986-1987. & * Harris, Stuart (1996). The Place Names of Edinburgh. Edinburgh: Gordon Wright Publishing. p. 144. . {{Areas of Edinburgh Areas of Edinburgh 1986 Commonwealth Games venues Edinburgh Trams stops