Baberton

Craiglockhart Castle

Craiglockhart · 1.9 miles

Craiglockhart Castle is a ruined tower house in the Craiglockhart district of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Malleny Garden

Balerno · 2.5 miles

National Trust for Scotland site Malleny Garden

Merchiston Tower

Church Hill · 3.1 miles

Birth place of John Napier (Inventor of logarithms)

St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral

West End · 3.7 miles

Victorian Gothic revival architecture dominates the skyline of Edinburgh’s West End, where a three-spired cathedral rises as the episcopal seat for the diocese covering the Firth of Forth to the English border. Laid on Palmerston Place, the foundation stone was set on 21 May 1874 by the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry, and the building was consecrated on 30 October 1879. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, the structure achieved Category A listed status and forms part of the Old Town and New Town World Heritage Site. Its central spire reaches 90 metres, making it the tallest edifice in the Edinburgh urban area, while the twin western spires—named “Barbara” and “Mary” after the Walker sisters who funded the project—were completed in 1917. Subsequent additions include a Chapter House (1880) and a Song School (1885), both integral to the cathedral’s complex. The interior supports a continuous programme of choral worship, a practice unique among Scottish cathedrals, with daily services performed by choristers from the attached music school. Notable firsts include the introduction of girls into the treble line in 1978 and the appointment of a female alto in 2005. The Song School, decorated by Phoebe Anna Traquair between 1888 and 1892, contains a second Father Willis organ (1829) and offers guided tours at selected times. Ten original bells hang in the central tower, supplemented by two later additions. Wheelchair users can access the building without steps, ensuring inclusive entry for visitors.

The Royal Scots Regimental Museum

Lauriston · 4.3 miles

Housed within the historic Royal Scots drill hall at Edinburgh Castle, the museum presents the heritage of the Royal Scots and its successor, the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The drill hall, erected in 1900 for the regiment, was refurbished and reopened as the Royal Scots Museum by the Princess Royal on 27 June 1991. Since the formation of the Royal Regiment of Scotland in 2006, its own collection has been added to the existing displays, creating a combined narrative of the units’ long service. Exhibits are arranged along a series of wall panels that trace the regiment’s origins under Sir John Hepburn through to recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dioramas, display cases and a modest selection of artefacts illustrate key moments, while seven Victoria Crosses awarded to Royal Scots soldiers form a focal point of the collection. An extensive medal archive is stored in drawers that can be opened on request, although only a fraction is on public view. Admission is free, and the site is nearest to the town of Lauriston. No additional visitor facilities are recorded in the source material.

Scottish National War Memorial

Lauriston · 4.3 miles

Within the walls of Edinburgh Castle, a dedicated space honours the Scots who fell in the twentieth-century wars and later conflicts. The memorial occupies a converted north barrack block on Crown Square, the central courtyard of the fortress, and was realised under the direction of architect Robert Lorimer after his commission in 1919. Officially opened on 14 July 1927 by the then Prince of Wales, the building displays external stonework embellished with gargoyles and sculptures by artists such as Pilkington Jackson, John Marshall and Phyllis Bone, while the interior features stained-glass windows by Douglas Strachan and a series of wall monuments for individual regiments. The core of the tribute is the Rolls of Honour, a collection of name panels that records roughly 135 000 casualties of the First World War and more than 50 000 of the Second World War, together with later losses from the Malayan Emergency, the Korean War, the Troubles, the Falklands, the Gulf and the recent campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. Names are added as new conflicts conclude, although the surrounding structure has remained unchanged since its inauguration. The monument is overseen by the charitable Scottish National War Memorial Trust. The nearest town identified on mapping data is Lauriston, and visitors to the castle can view the memorial as part of the broader historic attraction.