What is recorded here

Colinton Castle keeps a hidden edge where Colinton Road passes because a broad ha ha and steep steps shaped the ground in the 18th Century. The castle may have seemed to rise suddenly from ordinary travel, its boundary concealed rather than fenced, while people climbed or dropped along the steps with no warning of height. That is the shape of the place: a household making its own horizon, then disappearing behind road noise and distance.

Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Edinburgh, Colinton Road, Colinton Castle, Ha Ha and Steps as Ha Ha (18th Century), Steps (18th Century). The official map says its point is accurate as follows: NGR given to the nearest 1m. The record does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.

Colinton Castle was built in the 18th century by an unknown patron, likely as a rural residence or hunting lodge. It is remembered for its associated ha-ha and steps, which reflect the landscape design trends of the Scottish Enlightenment.

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