Gilmerton Cove Heritage Project

16/10/2026

Hey , 😊
Just to give you all a wee update and some good news:

Firstly, the Council Ctte agreed a lease or sub-lease for the Cove, but a date has yet to be agreed.

Regeneration Capital Grant Fund - We hope to hear by the end of October if we are through to the second stage of this bid. This is a Scottish government grant and given the 'at risk' condition of the Cove, hopefully, we will be successful. 🙏

The City of Edinburgh Council has invested a huge sum carrying out the structural survey - conducted by Harley Harlow. This survey has confirmed that the pillar in the chapel area is critical, and seven of the hatches are also at some risk.

We have applied for was £258,011 and the city of Edinburgh Council have pledged £100,000 in match funding - a huge commitment to protecting this valuable asset to our local and national heritage. The Council have also consulted with Historic Environment Scotland for their expert advice.

The pillar in the chapel area must be supported - it carries the load of the structure above. This risk should make securing this funding all the more vital than ever.

The Cove is a unique scheduled monument and world heritage site - there is nothing like it. It is a precious part of the local culture in South Edinburgh.

Fingers crossed 🤞🙏
We will let you all know as soon as we hear of any developments.

Best wishes
Maureen Watson
Chair

31/07/2026

14/07/2026

Hey

Thankyou so much Donald for supporting us and highlighting our campaign to save Gilmerton Cove. He makes the point very clearly in his article: Gilmerton Cove is just as important as any of the historic buildings in Edinburgh. Sharing this again. 👏⭐👏😊

Gilmerton and all the city neighbourhoods are part of Edinburgh and we should not be forgotten. 👏⭐😊

GREAT News - By the end of July we will have the costings for the repairs finalized.

We are the official charitable trust:Gilmerton Cove Heritage Project, specifically set up to help save and restore Gilmerton Cove. We will be working jointly with the City of Edinburgh Council to apply for the Scottish Regeneration Capital Fund.

However, there will be significant competition for these Scottish Funds, and while it could take some time to secure funding, Gilmerton Cove remains at risk.

We hope to set up a GoFundMe, up and running soon but this can also take time as we are a new charity. We will have our PayPal set up, once we have the full costings, and we will share all details as soon as we can. Every donation - large or small - can make a real difference to saving this unique monument, which is a vital heritage asset to Gilmerton, Edinburgh and Scotland.

We know that many local projects are saved by the generous support of philanthropists and businesses, so we would be incredibly grateful for any major backing too.

We've seen there is such a great interest in Gilmerton Cove, and we are so grateful for the incredible support we have had.
Many thanks ⭐⭐⭐ 👏😊👏

Maureen Watson
Chair

29/06/2026

Hello everyone,

Hope this finds you all well. 👏😊

Just want to thank Johanna the manager of Cameron Toll, for inviting us along to promote our project. We took 140 surveys from local people, who took part. It was a great result and we were made so welcome.

Thanks also to security guards who were so interested in the Cove and even photocopied extra surveys for us.

We also want to thank Aidan, the Community Champion, for inviting us back to Morrisons at Moredun. We were made so welcome by the staff, and we collected 100 surveys and £180.

Thankyou you to everyone who have supported us so far and for your amazing generosity. We now have around 330 surveys for our next funding applications.

We will share more of an update when the full survey work is complete and we have an idea of the costings.

Many Thanks.

Best Wishes
Maureen Watson


.

13/06/2026

Hello @ everyone,
Hope you are all well. ✨👏😊

Our Open Day was a great success and a day full of community spirit. It was great to celebrate the Cove and Gilmerton's unique cultural history and heritage. A day for our team to reminisce and gather surveys for our next Environment & Place and Heritage lottery funding application, when the intrinsic survey is complete.

But what is really important about this day was that a young single mum with her baby stayed with us all day, and she said she really felt part of the community. Building community strength matters. Thanks to all the wonderful people of all ages who joined us. Especially those who reminisced with us and gave interviews for a future documentary. 👏😊✨

A Special highlight was having Daniel and the Gilmerton Singers along - what a lovely addition. Many thanks to you all. Dave Robb really entertained with his wonderful storytelling, all created especially for the day. Thankyou so much Dave Robb Thanks to Jegga at Silver Screen Films.

A huge thanks to the Emma Smith
and all the wonderful library staff for their hard work and support. You were absolutely amazing. Thanks also to Donald Anderson for his amazing photos and history posters. We now have the beginning of an incredible Heritage wall in the Community room. Thanks to John Lawson, the City Archaeolgist for all his ongoing support.

A special thanks to all our volunteers who came, and who give us their time to support our ongoing work over the years - Mel Robertson, Bret Robertson, Flavia D'Avila, Maria Lluisa Juste, Molly McCafferty Kath Keay, Iain Grimston and John Fortune. All our friends who came to support us Carol Watson, Wendy Watson, Lorraine Fagan, Carole Bathgate, Poppy Evans and Ailsa McInroy. Thanks to Catherine Bisset, John Lawson, Gilmertonian John Hume, Poppy Evans, and Donald Anderson for your interviews.

We are planning the next Open Day and it will be on a Saturday, as some of you have requested.

Today we will be in Cameron Toll to continue our work. Come along and say hello. 😊😘

For all those who want to donate, we will hopefully have our GoFundMe up soon. ✨

Best Wishes
Maureen Watson

28/05/2026

Good morning 😊

Hope you are all well.

Donald Anderson has mentioned saving the Cove in his new column. Donald was my first point of contact when I decided to set up Gilmerton Cove Heritage Project in 2023, and he has remained an advisor ever since.

Donald is a local lad, and he played a huge role in acquiring the funds from Moredun Institute, to open the Cove as a visitor centre in 2003. He has acted as an advisor and given us great support. Donald has agreed to be filmed tomorrow at our Open Day, 29th May at Gilmerton library, 11:30am to 4pm. We hope to create a short documentary to raise awareness about the plight of Gilmerton Cove.

John Lawson, the City Archaeologist, will also attend our Open Day, and he has agreed to be filmed, as he was involved in the archaeological work carried out prior to the Cove opening in 2OO3. John continues to support our trust - as the Cove is a scheduled archaeological monument, he holds responsibility for its safekeeping and protection along with the City of Edinburgh Council. Our project is also responsible for its ongoing care, promotion and conservation.

24/05/2026

Hello ,
Hope you are all well. Come along and chat with us about the Cove and Gilmerton - this Friday 29th of May at Gilmerton library from 11.30am to 4pm. 😊🎉

17/05/2026

Hello ,

Hope this finds you all well. 😊

Just thought I would let you know that Gilmerton Cove will be featured in a series Talum Alba by MacTV - airing on Monday nights at 9.3Opm on BBC Alba.

The series takes you on a journey around Scotland's beautiful landscape, uncovering history, and hidden heritage.

You can Live Stream: watch it live online on BBC iPlayer or the BBC Alba website.

Talum Alba means the 'Land of Alba', and celebrates the land, the people and what makes Scotland unique. Don't miss the chance to see our wonderful Cove, a unique Scottish monument.

27/04/2026

Great news ,

Hope this finds you all well. 😊

We are delighted to let you know that Harley Hadow will begin the intrinsic survey this week. The work will take up to three months to complete. This will then provide all the information and costings we need to apply for funding to restore the Cove. 🎉🎉🎉

However, time is critical, but as you can see from the pillar it is bleeding water when it rains. The work is urgent because clearly the pillar in the chapel area is badly eroded.

This is a massive project and the road is long. We cannot be certain how long the restoration work will take, or if we will secure urgent funding. That's why we are working on a Go Fund Me page, so that everyone can donate.

We will continue to gather information and reminiscences required by Environment Scotland and the Heritage Lottery.

Thankyou everyone who previously helped so far with our 80 surveys and sixty page document of reminiscence. 👏 🎊🎊

We need your support 💙

We hope to see you all at our Open Day at Gilmerton library on Friday 29th of May, between 11. 30am -4pm. We will carry out surveys and reminiscence work.

Let's keep the momentum going.
Hope to see you there 😊✨🎉🎉