The lands of Craiglockhart
can be traced as far back as the thirteenth century.
However, the story of the building known now as Craiglockhart began
in 1873. In this year the City of Edinburgh Parochial Board sold the
west part of Craiglockhart Estate to the Craiglockhart Estate Company
for residential development. In 1877 thirteen acres of this land was
feued to the Craiglockhart Hydropathic Company and it was at this time
that the original farmhouse was demolished and a 'giant Italian villa'
was built by the architects Peddie and Kinnear. This building still
stands above Colinton Road on the northern hump of Wester Craiglockhart
Hill, on the south side of the city of Edinburgh. On completion of this
fine villa in 1880, Craiglockhart Hydropathic opened for business.
