Comiston Springs Water House, near Swan Spring Avenue, Edinburgh

Rectangular stone building with slated roof. Contains original cisterns (Historic Environment Scotland).

One of a set of buildings constructed for Edinburgh's first piped water supply. Although the Scottish Parliament passed an Act allowing for the use of Comiston Spring water by Edinburgh Town Council in 1621, the scheme was not pursued fully until the 1670s.

By 1672 Sir William Bruce and George Sinclair had been engaged to devise a scheme for a piped water supply for Edinburgh by the Town Council. For the necessary skills with hydraulics, the Dutch engineer, Peter Brauss, was contracted in 1674. Brauss was to be responsible for constucting the wells and cisterns within the town whilst Sir William Bruce was to remain responsible for their architectural design. Robert Myle, the King's Master Mason, was contracted to build them.

The building contained the wellhead and cistern. The interior tank was fed by 5 springs. Lead figures of a fox, swan, lapwing and a hare were previously sited within the building, but were removed to Huntly House Museum in 1967. The original purpose of the figures is not entirely clear, neither is their date, but Emerson suggests the animals reflected the names of the five springs which fed into the wellhouse - potentially once including the figure of an Owl - with the figures used to indicate which pipe was connected to which spring. (R.Emerson, 2002)

Understood to have been disused since 1945.

2 May 2012: The Cockburn Association bring the Wellhead, and associated springs, to the attention of the Buildings at Risk Service. For Investigation.

8 May 2012: External inspection finds the structure remains sound but localised areas of roof damage are apparant. Now disused, it is vulnerable to vandalism. Moved to At Risk.

10 March 2015: External inspection finds the building remains in much the same condition as seen previously.

9 October 2020: External inspection finds no significant change from previous visit. Prominent building with the slated roof requiring modest repair and maintenance. External walls appear sound though some areas encroached by vegetation. Vegetation starting to encroach boundaries.