A former mill-village which now forms a somewhat over-developed small district of NE Edinburgh, Bonnington lies on the right bank of the Water of Leith, a half-mile (1 km) west southwest of Leith. It is bounded to the south by Bonnington Road. Associated with flour-milling since the 12th century, the Bonnington Mills latterly comprised a set of 18th-century buildings, including a three-storey granary, an iron-framed corn mill, mill-house and offices. The mill was converted to electric power in the 1940s and closed in 1967. Most of the buildings were demolished in the 1980s and a new development also called Bonnington Mill built which contains a mix of housing and a business units, and includes the offices of Friends of the Earth (Scotland). The mill-house remains with the 17th-century Bonnyhaugh House nearby. The original mill-wheel has been installed behind these as a monument to the past. Crawford's built a biscuit factory here in 1947 but they left Edinburgh in 1970 after the sale of the company to United Biscuits. The Biscuit Factory is now an multi-purpose arts venue. Other industries here once included the Vulcan Foundry, Bonnington Sugar Refinery, Haig's Distillery and a tannery, all with associated sidings once connected to the Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Branch of the railway. Bonnington Bond in Anderson Place has been converted into modern offices and was occupied by the headquarters of Scottish Natural Heritage (now NatureScot) until this moved to Inverness in 2006.
