And now I notice from my overflowing in-tray that we have received only slightly less than 2 tweets this week and it comes from a Mr. Trellis of North Edinburgh. “Dear Mr Naughtie“, he writes “Redhall House, what’s that all about then?“

The name Redhall itself is an old one, recorded as early as the reign of Alexander III of Scotland in the late 13th century, in Latin as Rubea Aula (or Red Hall). In Scots it later became Redehalle; obviously all these referring to a hall house built of the local red sandstone. The first recorded resident may have been its builder, William le Grant, an Anglo Norman landowner from Lincoln. The “Normanisation” of the governance of Scotland having been started in earnest by Alexander’s predecessor David I a century earlier.

Into medieval times, Redhall became a fortified tower, commanding a good defensive promontory over the Water of Leith, and the centre of a Burgh of Barony of the same name.

The Barony of Redhall included the lands of Redhall itself and what are now Colinton, Oxgangs, Comiston, Swanston, Dreghorn, Bonaly. The landowner of Redhall owned the lands directly from the crown and exercised judicial powers over them on its behalf (a burgh of barony). In the early 16th century the burgh lands were gradually sold off, and by 1527 Redhall was all that was left when the tower house was bought by its first notable resident, Adam Otterburn, the town Clerk and Provost of Edinburgh. Otterburn was also the King’s (James V) Advocate and the go-to diplomat for Mary of Guise (James’ widow, who reigned Scotland as regent) and her predecessor, Regent Arran. The castle is long gone, but a remaining part is Otterburn’s coat of arms incorporated into a later Doocot.

Otterburn has a fascinating career and place in the tumult that was 16th c. Scottish history before the Reformation. He parleyed with the English under Hertford before they burnt Edinburgh in 1544, refusing to surrender. He was sent as delegate to Henry VIII. He was sent as delegate by Regent Arran to negotiate with Edward VI in Hampton Court and forewarned Arran of the forthcoming English invasion that would lead to disaster for Arran’s army at the Battle of Pinkie in 1547.

Otterburn by this time described himself as “aged and sickly”, but he has the unhappy distinction of being the only Lord Provost of Edinburgh to be assassinated, being fatally assaulted by followers of the Regent Arran in Edinburgh in July 1548.

Redhall’s next notable occasion was in 1650, when it was garrisoned by the Scottish army under Alexander Leslie facing off against the advancing army of Oliver Cromwell as an outpost for the defence of the city.

Leslie had fortified Edinburgh and Leith and his strategy was to sit tight behind the defences and repulse Cromwell’s forays, waiting for supply lines, disease and exposure to wear down his adversary. After a failed assault on the city at the Quarryholes, Cromwell attempted to outflank it but was cut off by Leslie on Corstorphine Hill. As he retreated back around the city he had General Monck take Redhall – but this was a mere distraction and took an inordinate effort to overcome. The garrison held out for 2 days before it was reduced by Monck’s artillery and ran out of ammunition.

haifing past … from Berwick to the place of Colingtoun, without any oppositioun maid be ony of the gentillmenis houssis by the way quhair they past, until they come to the hous of Reidhall … in the quhilk hous … the Laird of Reidhall with thriescoir sodgeris lay, with provisioun, and keepit and defendit the hous aganes the Englisches, and gallit his sodgeris, and pat them bak severall tymes with the los of sindry sodgeris. The Englische Generall, taking this very grevouslie, that such a waik [weak] hous sould hald out againes him, and be ane impediment in his way, he and his airmy lying so neir unto it.

The story of the siege of Redhall Castle by Cromwell in 1650, from the diary of John Nicoll

It’s unclear if the castle was ever rebuilt/ repaired after this assault. The Scots would suffer a catastrophic defeat to Cromwell in September that year at Dunbar.

Skipping forward a century, Redhall came into the possession of George Inglis of Auchendinny who had a new mansion built, allegedly incorporating some of the distinctive red sandstone masonry of the old castle. Inglis had the estate enclosed and ornamental walled gardens planted on the south-facing bank of the river. He encouraged industry along the river at Slateford, where the bleachfields would become known as Inglis Green.

Inglis’ son John rose to Vice Admiral in the Royal Navy and commanded HMS Belliqueux with distinction at the Battle of Camperdown in 1797. Confused by a signal from Admiral Duncan, he ordered his Coxswain “Hang it Jock! Doon wi the helm and gang right into the middle o’t!” Inglis’ ship engaged 2 Dutch vessels at once, forcing one to surrender, but suffered heavy casualties (the 2nd highest in the British fleet). Inglis himself was seriously wounded in the leg and took almost a year to recover. He resigned in 1799, possibly suffering PTSD

He retired home to Redhall a hero, given the freedom of the City of Edinburgh, and died there in 1807. He is buried in Colinton graveyard.

By the end of the Victorian era, Redhall was owned by David Chalmers of Redhall, whose company David Chalmers & Co was a big name in the paper trade. He owned mills on the Water of Leith and also the famous Cowan & Co Mills in Penicuik on the Esk.

The Chalmers had the extensions built to Redhall House around about this time, although David died in 1899 so many not have seen them completed.

The last resident owner of Redhall was Robert Nevill Dundas WS, an English-born solicitor who operated out of St. Andrew Square. He was an important figure around town on philanthopic boards, in the Episcopal Church, and had numerous banking and industrial directorships. Dundas was also a member of the Men in Silly Costumes Club (the Royal Archers, the monarch’s bodyguard in Scotland), a JP for Midlothian and treasurer of the Boy Scouts Association for the county. He died in 1941 and is buried in Colinton graveyard.

The house and grounds were then bought by the Corporation of Edinburgh. In 1944 it was the setting for a grand fete organised by the County Boy Scouts Association to raise funds to buy the estate of Bonaly as a camping / activity centre. The Corporation then began to use Redhall as a children’s home, initially temporarily. This was because the lease was up on Strathearn House in Stockbridge and they required accommodation for 40 children at short notice.

It was category B listed in 1966. When use as a children’s home ended in the 1970s, it became a training centre for the council, a role it fulfilled up until 2007 when it was sold off to a developer. Since then it has gone through a 15 year saga of repeated proposals to redevelop it, all the while deteriorating, requiring repeated interventions by the council to try and enforce the conditions of keeping it weather tight and in good repair. A new permission and listed building consent were granted in 2019, but you’ve guessed it, nothing has happened since then beyond the effects of time and the elements. It is currently rated as “Poor” condition and “High Risk” on the buildings at risk register.

The walled gardens and summer house, built in red brick, are in a much happier condition.

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