A former iron-milling and oyster-fishing village on the Firth of Forth, Cramond is now a desirable suburb of Edinburgh which retains its village character. It probably began as a Roman port and major supply base in the first century AD. Lying on the east side of the River Almond, Cramond has a picturesque core which is popular with day-trippers who for a long-time were able to cross the Almond by a small ferry to the Dalmeny estate. The Cramond Lioness is a Roman sandstone statue which was dragged from the mud of the river by ferryman Robert Graham in 1997. It is now held in the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
Cramond developed in the late 19th century when the railway came to nearby Davidson's Mains, with villa housing and later bungalows extending the village to Barnton to the south. Notable buildings include Cramond Tower (15th Century), Cramond House (1680), late 18th century terraced cottages and Cramond Kirk (15th century, with an impressive early 20th C. interior). Next to the Kirk are the remains of a Roman Fort, while nearby is one of the best preserved Roman bath houses in Scotland. The Cramond Heritage Trust maintains a local-history museum in the Maltings, one of a group of restored 18th C. buildings on Cramond foreshore. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling now has a home in the area and there is a footpath along the river to the old mills. A causeway extends out to Cramond Island, which is cut off twice per day by the incoming tide.
