Comiston Spring House

One of the Comiston Springs
©2023 Gazetteer for Scotland

One of the Comiston Springs

Built in 1676 and now half-buried at the roadside on the corner of Comiston View and Fox Spring Rise in Edinburgh, the Comiston Spring House gathered water from the four Comiston springs and routed it to the Old Town of Edinburgh. Comiston was the first source of water to be conveyed to the Castlehill Reservoir and wooden pipes, made of elm, were used. The four springs were named after animals and birds - fox, swan, peewit (lapwing) and hare. The entry of each into the spring house was marked by a lead sculpture of the appropriate creature. The original sculptures are now on display in the Museum of Edinburgh in the Canongate. The Spring House is today a listed building. The roads in the area are also named after these springs, for example, Fox Spring Rise and Swan Spring Avenue.


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