When the first house was built on the site in the 1500's it stood in the heart of the countryside. The medieval city of Edinburgh was at that time confined to the Old Town, the area which stretches from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

The earliest reference to the Inch dates back to the 1400's when King James 11 granted these lands to the Abbey of Holyrood. The areas name comes from the old Scots word Insch, meaning an island, because it was situated on the former flood plain of the Braid Burn.

Welcome to Inch House. This building which today serves as a focus for the local community, was originally built in 1617 as part of the family home of James Winram, a wealthy and influential landowner. In 1660, Inch House was acquired by the Gilmour family and it remained their home until 1946 when it was sold to the City Council. The House then served as a primary school before becoming a Community Centre in 1968.The island setting made the area good for defence. And when James Winram, Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, built this towerhouse here in 1617, it could only be reached by a drawbridge over a moat. For additional security, he located a look-out chamber at the top of the four storey tower.

James Winram's son, George Winram of Liberton inherited Inch House on his father's death. He was a man of influence and played his part in the politics of the day. The 1640's were a time of great instability as the English and Scottish governments indreasingly followed diverging courses in religion and politics. The situation reached boiling point in 1649 when King Charles 1 was executed on the grounds of treason. What followed was civil war. The English declared a republic, but the Scots crowned Charles 2 as successor to the Scottish throne. Scotland's support for monarchy rather than a republic led to an invasion by Oliver Cromwell, the most powerful man in England.

When Cromwell's 16,000 strong army stormed north in 1650, it was successful in capturing many lands including the Pentlands, Niddrie, Musselburgh and the Braids. But the Inch House was so well defended that it evaded capture and remained a stronghold throughout.

George Winram was less fortunate. On September 3rd 1650, he fought against Cromwell at the Battle of Dunbar where he was so badly wounded that he died eight days later. For many years Inch House displayed a trophy from that battle: the sword of Oliver Cromwell.

A century later, during the Jacobite Uprising of 1745, Inch House once again became an important bastion. This time it served as a garrison for the soldiers who were fighting to overturn Bonnie Prince Charlie's claim to the Scottish throne. The Gilmour family, who had acquired Inch House in 1660, were staunch supporters of the Hanoverian monarchy and gave Inch House over to the troops who formed a base there.

Although the Gilmours owned Inch House for three hundred years, they occupied it for less than half that time, preferring their residence at Craigmillar Castle. Legend tells that a secret underground passage ran between the two properties, but it's wherebouts remains a mystery.

The Gilmours were responsible for extending and modernising the house. And while much has been altered there remain many original features which give clues to the house'e historic past and to the people who once lived here.

The spiral staircase built into the thickness of the walls were a 16th century innovation, allowing private access to the owner's apartments. The earliest spiral stair dates to 1617, and provided James Winram with a direct route to his look out tower.

The spiral stair which leads up from the original entrance was once lined with heavy oak-studded doors, and a few of these still survive today. This staircase led to the Lairds chamber, a private room which was probably used as a bed chamber as well as a place for receiving and entertaining important guests. A peephole in the end wall of the chamber overlooks the original entrance to the house, and allowed the owner to keep an eye on who was coming and going. At the opposite end of the room, another peephole offered views into a strongroom. In the days before banks existed, many large houses had strongrooms where money, gold and silverware was stored for safe-keeping.

Inch House took on it's present proportions under Sir John Gilmour. He was responsible for modernising the house and adding the main staircase. In 1973 a fire broke out, damaging both this staircase and the stained glass windows. In 1946, Inch House ended it's days as a family home and took on a new lease of life first as a school and now as a Community Centre.