Cramond is a small village on the coast of the Firth of Forth, now a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland.
The village was the site of a Roman fort, founded in AD 142. Originally "Caer Amon", the fort on the river Almond, Cramond sits at the mouth of the Almond. It's in this small estuary that a Roman stone carving of a lioness was found in recent years. There are still extensive foundations of the old fort by the Cramond Kirk.
The historic Kirk at the site of the old Roman fort, date back to around the 17th century. The tower is the oldest part of the building, dating back to the 15th century, although the church was almost entirely rebuilt from a ruin in 1656. The Manse, built in 1745, now forms the central core of the kirk, extensively renovated through the 19th century.
Down by the estuary, there is a causeway out to Cramond Island which may be crossed at low tide. From the island, there are great views of the Firth of Forth, across to Fife, and down to the famous rail and road bridges.
Up from the old village and the estuary and shore, there is an old Primary School. Cramond Primary now sits in a new building but the old school building of 1875 was in use until recently. This building replaced the first Cramond schoolhouse, built in 1778 opposite the Manse
Further up from the primary school is a large campus with playing fields. Once Dunfermline College for Physical Education, the campus became part of Moray House College, a teacher-training college. Moray House was part of Heriot Watt University, and later Edinburgh University. The campus buildings were ruined in a fire in 2002.
Sources
- Website: The History of Cramond Kirk. (www.skyfamily.com/cramondkirk/history.html)
- Website: The Old Sycamore. (www.skywebfamily.com/cramondkirk/grapevine/id2.html)