A dormitory settlement of Midlothian, Mayfield is situated on an exposed hillside a half-mile (1 km) east of Newtongrange. It comprises a sizeable public housing development, which was built in the 1950s to accommodate miners for the nearby Blinkbonny, Easthouses and Lingerwood collieries, many of whom relocated from the west of Scotland. Employment has diversified since the closure of these mines, with much of the population now commuting to Edinburgh. Although there is no deep mining, open cast mining continued at Blinkbonny, 1½ miles (2 km) to the south, until 1999.
Mayfield is closely associated with the settlement of Easthouses, which lies immediately to the northwest.
