Newington Cemetery

Newington Cemetery is a Victorian burial ground in south Edinburgh, squeezed between a railway line and busy Dalkeith Road. Its elongated, kite-shaped site lies slightly beyond Newington proper, towards Prestonfield and Peffermill. It suits visitors who enjoy city history, funerary architecture and quiet walks away from the crowds of the Royal Mile.

How did the cemetery begin?

It opened in 1846 as a commercial venture of the Metropolitan Cemetery Association, on farmland acquired from the Dick family of Prestonfield. It was first called Newington Necropolis, and it has also been known as Echo Bank or Echobank Cemetery and, for a time from 1860, the Southern Cemetery. Its design belongs to the garden cemetery movement that spread across Britain from the 1830s.

Who designed it, and what is there to see?

The layout was by David Cousin, who had trained under William Henry Playfair. From 1848 his work included terraced catacombs across the middle of the site and a Gothic lodge and gates facing Dalkeith Road. The main entrance is marked by Tudor-style gatepiers and a high boundary wall. The original area of roughly 8.3 acres was later extended in two stages towards Cameron Toll.

Who is buried here?

Burials include industrialist James Finlayson, painter William McTaggart, missionary Rev. Dr John Ross, mathematician Prof. Cargill Knott and General Sir Gordon MacMillan. The social reformer Rev. Dr James Begg also rests here. There is a war memorial and 156 individual war graves cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

What is the railway connection?

In the 1880s the South Suburban Railway was built beside the cemetery, following the Pow Burn. Newington Station gave mourners and visitors access. The tracks still form one edge of the site.

Why are some gravestones lying flat?

Over the 20th century the cemetery became overgrown and neglected. Edinburgh City Council took it over under a compulsory purchase order in 1994. For safety, many memorials were laid flat and much of the vegetation was cleared. The grounds are now easier to read and walk, though rows of horizontal stones can be surprising at first.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the cemetery? On Dalkeith Road in south Edinburgh, between the railway and the road, in the Prestonfield and Peffermill area.

Is it interesting for architecture fans? Yes. The Gothic lodge, Tudor-style gatepiers and terraced catacombs are the work of David Cousin, a pupil of Playfair.

Are there war graves? Yes, a war memorial and 156 individual war graves maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Does it have other names? Yes: Newington Necropolis, Echo Bank, and for a period from 1860 the Southern Cemetery.

Is it good for a short visit? If you like local Edinburgh history and a calm atmosphere, yes. An hour is enough to walk the main paths and find the resting places of notable figures.

Remember that this is a place of remembrance, so keep noise down and show respect to other visitors and to the graves, including those laid flat.