Land at Inverleith, at that time on the undeveloped northern fringe of Edinburgh, was purchased in 1897 by the Scottish Rugby Union (then the Scottish Football Union), which had previously played international matches at Raeburn Place about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) further south towards the city centre; that was primarily a cricket venue (although it is still used for rugby today as the home of Edinburgh Accies).
Having assessed the condition of the stadium following World War I (when only minimal maintenance was carried out) and the poor potential for expansion to cope with larger crowds as the sport's popularity grew, the SRU decided to move to a new site and transferred operations to Murrayfield Stadium on the west side of the city.
[4][5] Some further unofficial Scotland matches were played at Inverleith during World War II when Murrayfield was requisitioned for military use.
[6] The Scotland women's national rugby union team hosted matches there occasionally in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The stadium is located on Ferry Road (A902);[9] Edinburgh Academy's junior school is located a short distance to the east – much closer than Stewart's Melville College itself; Goldenacre, the home of another rival school club Heriot's, is around 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) further east.