Gilmerton Cove can be found on the southern edge of the city of Edinburgh, in what was once was a mining village called Gilmerton, now a suburb of the city. Just how old the sandstone caves really are is unknown, but records dating back to the 18th century tell us some of the story.
By the way, the word “cove” has nothing to do with the sea. It is an old Scots word for “cave.” The caverns were reopened to tourists in 2003, and the intricately carved stone tables and benches, along with the hand carved passageways have led to speculation as to what the caves were originally used for and who actually made them.
Julian Spalding is a prominent art expert and historian and the former head of Glasgow’s museums and galleries. He claims Gilmerton Cove is a Druid temple dating back 2,000 years, and that it was deliberately buried by the ancient priests to hide its sacred nature, according to the Scotsman.
He says, “if it is a Druid temple, discovered by chance in the 18th Century, then it will be the first substantial archaeological evidence of this sophisticated and highly-secretive priesthood.” And Spalding wants further archaeological work done on the caverns to unlock their mysteries.
Gilmerton Cove was the home of a blacksmith
The cove is a series of caverns connected by a 40-foot passageway, hewn out of the sandstone. The caverns are about 10-feet below the surface, and there are two entrances. Based on local tradition, in 1724, after laboring for five years, local blacksmith George Paterson finished with his underground dwelling.
If one were to believe the story, George had carved out several rooms, according to Philip Coppens. including long tables with continuous benches, sort of horseshoe-style around the perimeters of the walls. One long table has a large bowl carved out. One room appears to have been a bedroom, and in another room, there appears to have been a forge, although there are no soot or burn marks to indicate there was ever any fire.
The caves apparently did have ventilation because there are apertures or skylights that have been sealed off that reached to the surface in several places. Of course, today, the caverns are lit with electric lights. Another interesting discovery is drainage gutters and a deep, vertical pit about two feet in diameter. The pit could have been used as a latrine for the family.
But the drainage gutters are unique because whoever made them obviously knew what they were doing by routing rainwater. So could the latrine really have been a cistern? The question is still unanswered. What is known was that Paterson apparently lived in the place until 1737.
It is known that George Paterson used the caverns as a tavern, selling liquor, and probably used the skylights to lower the beverages down. Many of the town’s gentlemen came to the tavern to sample his wares, and records show that George was called before the church elders for selling liquor on the Sabbath. His excuse was that he had closed the front entrance but his wife must have let customers in through the back door.
Claims of the cove being much older
In 1897 F.R. Coles, the Assistant Keeper of the National Museum of Antiquities in Edinburgh made a detailed study of the caves. He concluded there was no way one man could have completed all the work of carving out the caverns in just a few years. Besides that, he discovered the marks on the walls were made with pointed objects and not by chisels. He concluded the caverns were much older.
Needless to say, since that time there have been many theories as to who made the caves and what they were used for, including being used by a witches coven, an illicit whiskey still, a drinking den and even the home of an exclusive 18th century “Hellfire Club.” Hellfire Clubs were popular back then, and were exclusively attended by “persons of society.”
Actually, they were private clubs where people could engage in socially unacceptable acts behind closed doors. There are still hellfire Clubs in existence today in Ireland. These clubs carry out similar actions as the original Hellfire Clubs, including mock ceremonies and drinking alcohol.
One theory that is hard to dismiss is the factual knowledge that Gilmerton back in the 15th century was a coal mining village. Miners used pointed picks, and there is good reason to believe they could have excavated the caves. Gilmerton was also in the path of the route taken by English troops when they were invading Edinburgh. Villagers needed some place to hide, so the caves make sense.
Local Presbyterian miners could have used the caverns during their long persecution, with the carved bowl on one of the tables being used as a baptismal font. This is also a good explanation for the caves. The stretch to include the caverns being used by Knights Templar, and as a Masonic Temple have all but been dismissed, as have being inhabited by witches covens.
Spalding’s Druid connection
Spalding claims the site dates back to the iron Age and is of huge international significance, so much so that it should be considered for world heritage status, like Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns. He says all the evidence points to the site being a Druid Temple.
“The identification of Gilmerton Cove as a Druid temple makes sense of all the evidence. Druids were known to meet in secret in woods and caves away from habitation. Gilmerton is on a high ridge, marked with megaliths, overlooking Cramond, the site of mankind’s earliest settlement in Scotland, and, later, a Roman Fort,” Spalding said.
But until scientific evidence shows us the age of the stonework, along with a more detailed investigation of the sealed chambers at the site, assuming Gilmerton Cove is a Druid Temple is a far stretch.
