when the coot shoots across the surface, or when a swan in thrusting its long neck under water, tilts itself upward in its own preposterous fashion. Low-lying, sunshiny, umbrageous, a place where in summer you may expect plenty of dust in the narrowstreets, plenty of drowsy bees around the double-flowered white and purple stocks in the gardens; plenty of flies buzzing in the sunny parlour windows.”
Beyond the village is the well-wooded park of Duddingston, with the classic portico of the Duke of Abercorn’s mansion, and rural temples peeping out from among the foliage, while beyond the park the eye rests on the well-cultivated fields of some of the finest farms to be found in Scotland. Beside the blue sparkling waters of the sea, the church spires and houses of Portobello are also visible from our high vantage ground; and as we follow the coast line, we may distinguish the hamlets of Joppa and Magdalene Bridge, flanked by the Burgh of Musselburgh and the spire of Inveresk Church.
The parish of Duddingston is not extensive, being only 334 miles in its extreme length from east to west - from Magdalene Bridge to Prestonfield - while its extreme breadth along the shore is only two miles, tapering inland to a few hundred yards at Prestonfield. In shape it somewhat resembles a triangle, or half-opened fan, gradually spreading itself out towards the sea, which may be considered the base of the triangle. The line of boundary on both the north and south sides is considerably broken, and follows no well marked natural feature for any great distance. On the south it coincides with the Niddrie or Magdalene Burn from the sea to the south-east corner of Duddingston Policies, north of the Suburban Railway, and thence along the Railway to Duddingston Station. Until a year or two ago the mansion and park of Prestonfield formed a part of the parish, but they are now included in Edinburgh; so that the new western boundary line follows the cross road from Duddingston Station to the Loch.
But as our history deals with the parish as it was, we must explain that the old boundary extended from this point westward by Peffermill, and along the turnpike road, on to the Dalkeith Road, where it turned northward past Salisbury Green and St Leonard’s, to the Queen’s Park. The old stone wall separating the Prestonfield property from the Royal Park, was the boundary up to Duddingston Loch, which was also formerly included.
