Craigleith, Edinburgh

For the island in East Lothian, see Craigleith.

Craigleith (Scottish Gaelic: Creag Lìte) is a district of north Edinburgh, Scotland. Its name comes from the Scottish Gaelic Creag liath meaning 'grey rock' which was obtained from Craigleith quarry. Much of the Craigleith sandstone was used to build the old and new town houses in Edinburgh as well as many famous buildings including Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace. Because of its particular hardness, Craigleith sandstone was also favored in the making of cut glass during the Victorian era.^[1]

The Craigleith area extends from Ravelston Dykes, to Crewe Toll and the Ferry Road, and Comely Bank on the east. Queensferry Road and Craigleith Road both pass through here.

The area is generally middle class, across the entire range, and may sometimes be known as "Bungalow Land". There is a disproportionate number of private schools near here, notably Stewart's Melville College and The Mary Erskine School. Broughton High School and a campus of Napier University are also here. Craigleith Retail Park was built upon the infilled Craigleith Quarry in 1995 and is situated at the junction of Queensferry Road and Craigleith Road. The Royal Victoria Hospital is off Craigleith Road while the Western General Hospital and the Lothian and Borders Police HQ in Fettes Avenue are close neighbours.

The quarry at Craigleith was the source of much of the stone that was used in the construction of Edinburgh New Town.

References

1. ^ Tomas Tisch, "Brilliant Cut Glass: Engraved Decoration for Doors and Windows"

See also

• Edinburgh Crystal

External links

• A History of the Craigleith Hill District

Coordinates: 55°57′42″N 003°13′43″W / 55.96167°N 3.22861°W / 55.96167; -3.22861 (Craigleith)