Forrester

Craiglockhart Castle

Craiglockhart · 1.9 miles

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

Merchiston Tower

Church Hill · 2.5 miles

Birth place of John Napier (Inventor of logarithms)

Cramond Roman Fort and Civil Settlement

Cramond · 3.1 miles

Evidence of Roman activity survives at the mouth of the River Almond where it joins the Forth, close to the village of Cramond in Edinburgh. The archaeological site, dating from around AD 140, comprises the remains of a fort and an adjoining civilian settlement that together illustrate the northern frontier of the Roman Empire. Visible outlines of the headquarters, granaries and a workshop are marked on the open parkland, with information panels explaining the layout and the discoveries made over the past five decades. Among the artefacts displayed nearby are a stone altar dedicated to the Matres Alatervae, a centurial stone of Legio II Augusta, an altar to Jupiter Optimus Maximus, and a silver sword pendant indicating the presence of a senior officer. The most celebrated find, the Cramond Lioness—a white-sandstone sculpture of a lioness devouring a male figure—was recovered from the river in 1997. The fort was initially occupied from about AD 140 until roughly AD 170, when Roman forces withdrew to Hadrian’s Wall, and it was later enlarged during the Severan campaign of AD 208-214. Subsequent evidence suggests continued native use into the fifth century and earlier Mesolithic activity on the same ground. Although parts of the complex lie beneath later village buildings and are revealed only during development work, the outlined sections remain accessible to the public. No permanent visitor centre or museum has yet opened, but plans announced since 2000 envision a facility to exhibit the collected artefacts, including the Lioness. Access is via the Cramond village area; no admission fee or specific opening times are recorded for the open-air remains.

The Royal Scots Regimental Museum

Lauriston · 3.7 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 · 3.7 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.

Scottish American War Memorial

New Town · 3.7 miles

A bronze figure of a kilted infantryman stands on a Craigleith sandstone plinth in West Princes Street Gardens, looking toward Castle Rock. The central statue is accompanied by a low-relief frieze that depicts rows of men, including a pipe band, marching from civilian life into military service. The monument’s apex bears the intertwined escutcheons of Scotland and the United States, underscoring the transatlantic link that inspired its creation. Funded by the Scottish-American War Memorial Committee, the work was presented by Scottish-Americans as a tribute to Scots who fought in the First World War. Designed by the Scottish-Canadian sculptor R. Tait McKenzie, with architectural input from Reginald Fairlie, the piece was unveiled on 7 September 1927 by the United States Ambassador, Alanson B H Houghton. The bronze backdrop and the inscription of E. A. Mackintosh’s poem “A Creed” complete the composition, while contemporary accounts recorded a construction cost of ten thousand pounds. Historic Scotland classifies the memorial as a Category B listed building. The memorial occupies a publicly accessible garden in Edinburgh’s New Town, allowing visitors to view the sculpture at any time the gardens are open. No admission fee is mentioned, and the setting provides the usual amenities of the surrounding park. Its listed status ensures that the monument is protected under heritage regulations.