Whispers of a Green Lady drift from Craig House. This isn’t just any building. Craig House stands proudly on Easter Craiglockhart Hill. Its history stretches back centuries. Originally built in the 16th century it survived the flames of the Earl of Hertford in 1544. The present structure dates to 1565. It was built for the Symsounes of Craighouse. Later the Dicks owned it. John Hill Burton a historian even lived here. His son’s contributions to Japan are commemorated on the garden wall. In the 1880s it was called a weird-looking ghost-haunted mansion.
Then came a dramatic transformation. Dr Thomas Clouston bought Craig House in 1878. It became Craig House Hospital a psychiatric hospital. Sydney Mitchell designed the new buildings. Architect Charles Henry Greig actually oversaw construction. The main building was grand. It resembled a country house not an institution. It featured a great hall and a billiard room. The hospital operated until the 1990s.
After a period of decline Edinburgh Napier University purchased the estate in 1994. They spent £14 million on refurbishment. The Craighouse Campus opened in 1996. It housed social science and communication arts courses. The Ian Tomlin School of Music also thrived here. The university later sold the campus for residential development.
But Craig House’s legacy extends beyond its bricks and mortar. One tale tells of Sir Thomas Elphinstone. He caught his son and his much younger wife Elizabeth together. He killed her in a rage. Sir Thomas then killed himself. Elizabeth’s ghost a Green Lady haunted the house. Her spirit only rested when her remains were moved. John Elphinstone was buried beside her. The haunting finally ceased.
Another ghost Jacky Gordon is also said to haunt Craig House. Poltergeist activity has been reported even recently. Craig House whispers of its past. It’s a place where history and mystery intertwine. A truly captivating piece of Edinburgh’s heritage.