A hidden gem of SE Edinburgh, the Craigmillar Castle Jubilee Park was designated on 12th August 2002 in a ceremony presided over by HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. The park represents an important tract of green-belt within the boundaries of the city. It comprises a maze of paths running through 60 ha (148 acres) of woodland and meadow lying primarily to the west of Craigmillar Castle, which was once part of a landed estate of the Gilmours of the Inch.
Since the idea of the park was conceived in 1965, a programme of land purchase by Edinburgh Council has safeguarded the site from housing development and potential neglect.
One of only eight Jubilee Parks in Scotland, the status was conferred to mark 50 years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. The park is protected in perpetuity by Fields in Trust (formerly the National Playing Fields Association).
In 2004, the city authorities completed the purchase of a further 60.7 ha (150 acres) of land which represents part of the estate of the former Woolmet House which had been the property of the Don-Wauchope family for 400 years, to extend the park southwards beyond the Royal Infirmary, as far as the city limits.
Craigmillar Castle Park Cemetery opened in 2010 on part of the former Bridgend Farm on Old Dalkeith Road at the western side of the park. Scotland's first organic allotments had opened on an adjacent area of land in 2006. The 1.43-ha (3.5-acre) site cost £250,000 and includes sixty individual plots, together with raised beds for disabled gardeners. Environmental sustainability is promoted through biodiversity, a rainwater collection system for watering the plots and an organic composting toilet.
