A small water body constructed on the course of the Megget Burn in 1873-4 to provide a facility for skating, curling and later boating, Craiglockhart Pond lies next to Lockharton Crescent, within Happy Valley at the foot of Easter Craiglockhart Hill. The pond drains into marshland to the northeast which provides a habitat for orchids, a hunting ground for herons and a safe haven for smaller waterfowl to raise their young. This marshland in turn drains into culverted Megget Burn, which flows down the Water of Leith. The land surrounding the pond was bought by John Cox, a businessman, philanthropist and showman, of J. & G. Cox Ltd. based at Gorgie Mills, who built a dam to create a series of ponds. This dam lies exactly on the northern boundary of Cox's property, which was also the southwestern boundary of the City of Edinburgh at the time. Cox had grand plans to create a pleasure ground for the people of Edinburgh but these were not realised as he died prematurely in 1874. In time, other facilities were established in the surrounding Happy Valley, which served as a centre for entertainment until the mid-20th C.
