Edinburgh, Inverleith Place, Royal Botanic Garden, The Botanic Cottage
Building (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Edinburgh, Inverleith Place, Royal Botanic Garden, The Botanic Cottage
Classification Building (Period Unassigned)
Alternative Name(s) Arboretum Place, Inverleith Row
Canmore ID 347324
Site Number NT27NW 36.18
NGR NT 24444 75542
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/347324
- Council Edinburgh, City Of
- Parish Edinburgh (Edinburgh, City Of)
- Former Region Lothian
- Former District City Of Edinburgh
- Former County Midlothian
The Botanic Cottage was taken down from its site on Haddington Place, Leith Walk, Edinburgh in 2008-9. The salvaged stone and timber was removed to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE). Successful lottery application and other funding was granted to re-build the cottage within the RBGE for educational activities. Work on site commenced in 2014. The original cottage will have two new wings increasing the size of the facilities. The intention has been by the RBGE and Simpson and Brown Archts to rebuild as much as possible of the cottage using eighteenth century methods, to this end a number of students of Georgian architecture have visted and worked on the site.
RCAHMS May 2015.
Watching Brief (8 September 2014 - 20 September 2014)
NT 24353 75535 Addyman Archaeology were commissioned by The Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh to undertake a watching brief during all ground breaking works associated with the re-erection of the Botanic Cottage along the northern perimeter of the Botanic Gardens at Inverleith Place. The project involves the re-use of salvaged materials from the 18th century two-storey building, which stood formerly at the original site of the Botanic Gardens along Leith Walk. Prior to the land's integration with the botanic gardens, it was once part of the grounds of Inverleith Estate; the origins of which can be traced back to the 17th century or earlier. The lack of development on this site, and its near constant use as a green space advocates the strong possibility for the survival of in situ medieval or prehistoric deposits, providing important information on land usage prior to the formation of the Inverleith Estates. The watching brief undertaken during groundbreaking works demonstrated that no archaeological features survive across the site. Natural sand and clay subsoils directly underlying the imported garden soils were encountered across the entire development area. No archaeological artefacts were recovered, with all finds encountered dating to the 20th century and confined to the imported garden topsoils. The lack of archaeological finds or features predating the development area's association with the Botanic Gardens suggests a levelling of the subsoil may have taken place in the past, possibly in preparation for use as a nursery in the late 19th century.
Information from Andrew Morrison (Addyman Archaeology) September 2014. OASIS ID: addymana1-190282
Photographic Survey (17 April 2015)
Photographed during the reconstruction of the cottage in the Royal Botanic Garden.
