Gilmerton Cove is a small complex of underground rooms of uncertain purpose. Built probably between 1719-1724 by a George Paterson, it comprises several irregular shaped rooms off pair of pasage ways. It has been excavated by hand from the sandstone bedrock.
Various suggestions have been made about why it was constructed,but by 1721 it had already become a tourist attraction and its owner prosecuted for serving alcoholic drinks on a Sunday.
It contains a variety of rooms and rock hewn furniture.
It can be visited as part of a guided tour. The archaeology survey report from 2002 provides a definitive description of each room and the findings and makes a good attempt to separate known facts from folklore.
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