Edinburgh, Gilmerton Road, Inch House, Garden

NT 23051 69410, NT 2787 7098, NT 27985 71848, NT 27753 71337, NT 2765 7130, NT 28550 72044, NT 303 740, NT 27260 70750 and NT 2685 7021 A programme of mitigation works was carried out between July 2005 and August 2009 at various locations along the Braid Burn as part of a flood prevention scheme. Photographic recording was undertaken of two bridges on Gilmerton Road, Peffermill Bridge, a boundary wall running from Adelphi Place to Rosefield Park, and a section of the boundary wall for Inch Park which ran along part of Old Dalkeith Road and Cameron Toll. A Level 3 standing building survey was undertaken prior to the dismantling and rebuilding of a grade B listed wall and gate pier at 4 Peffermill Road (NT27SE 4868). Watching briefs were carried out at Oxgangs Primary School, Oxgangs Road North, Inch Park, Priestfield Gardens, Peffermill Road,

Nether Liberton, Duddingston Road West, and Adelphi Place.

At Nether Liberton, two substantial stone box culverts were identified. These features probably related to the control of water for an 18th-century mill, which was located here (and is now residential). The features consisted of a section of buried mill lade which took the water from the mill back to the Braid Burn and a side lade which took excess water or diverted water back into the Braid Burn before it reached the mill.

A watching brief during work at Adelphi Place recorded a number of building remains at the N end of the excavation area. It is probable that these remains represented the basements or cellars of buildings depicted on the 1st and 2nd editions of the Town Plan. A number of pits containing pottery and pottery dumps were found along the course of the culvert excavation, in ground that had been built up with demolition material. The pottery and glass from these dumps was assessed by George Haggarty. The pottery finds were dated to the 1950s and most were manufactured by Buchan’s pottery works. The ceramic assemblage reflected changing

tastes in pottery styles after WW2.

An evaluation undertaken in Inch Park identified three box drains, eight lengths of wall, two areas of paving and one pile of stones containing a circular compressed shale disc. The shale disc may have been a sharpening/grinding wheel. All of these features were thought to be part of the designed landscape associated with Inch House, which was constructed in 1617. These discoveries led to further excavation work in two areas. Two sections of wall, a bank and a culvert were identified and excavated and a relative chronology for these features was established. The revetment or retaining wall was constructed to contain a bank of redeposited natural and was associated with a culvert. The finds evidence suggested that the wall had been demolished by the early 20th century. It is possible that the earlier wall and culvert represented part of the boundary between Ward Park and Horse Park as depicted on the 1794 estate plan. A single trial trench excavated at Mayfield Road to assess the survival of a mill dam and mill lead did not locate any features or deposits of archaeological significance.

Archive: City of Edinburgh Council SMR and RCAHMS

Funder: City of Edinburgh Council

Melanie Johnson – CFA Archaeology Ltd