Blackford Hill topographic map

Some have called Edinburgh the Athens of the North for a variety of reasons. The earliest comparison between the two cities showed that they had a similar topography, with the Castle Rock of Edinburgh performing a similar role to the Athenian Acropolis. Both of them had flatter, fertile agricultural land…

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The area was traditionally seen as two farm estates: Easter Swanston owned by the Ross family; and Wester Swanston owned by the Foulis family. The two were united in 1749 when the Trotters of Mortonhall (who had bought Wester Swanston in 1670) also acquired Easter Swanston. The Trotter family planted the…

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