Silvermills

The village is most likely to have taken its name from mills erected to smelt and refine silver ore which had been found at Hilderstone in Linlithgowshire in 1607 or, alternatively, from some of the alchemical projects of James IV or James V.[1] The low-lying land of Silvermills and Canonmills proved an impediment to the further northern extension of the New Town.

Silvermills was incorporated into Edinburgh in 1809 by a Local Act of Parliament Extending the Royalty (49 Geo III Cap.

The main estate is by Cala Homes and has a sculpture at its centre, over life-size of a horse and rider holding an eagle, "Horse~Rider~Eagle" by sculptor, Eoghan Bridge.

The former steep dog-leg link from the east lane to Fettes Row was removed c.2000 when a residential development was built but a public pedestrian route still exists under the building.

The most prominent building in the immediate vicinity is St. Stephen's Church in St Stephen's Place at the north end of St Vincent Street, built in 1827 for £18,975, on a design of vast scale, a mixture of Baroque and Grecian architecture by William Henry Playfair.

Between 1971 and 1996, it was the home of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem Grand Commandery of Lochore, which had bought the building from the Vestry Trustees in 1971, together with its rectory and church hall.

The winding gear for this cable-operated tram is preserved on the east side of the office at the entrance to Silvermills at Henderson Place.

Its main entrance is on Henderson Row, the gardens and car park are accessed from West Silvermills Lane.