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The pub’s story
Colinton Inn's sandstone frontage on Bridge Road carries white lettering on black signs. Edinburgh Libraries links the site to Jane Johnston, a widow who moved to Colinton around 1850 and became a grocer and spirit dealer. She probably worked from a rented cottage on the present pub site; by 1868 her spirit premises were known as the Colinton Inn. The 1900 trade directory names R. Turnbull at The Old Colinton Inn. A November 2019 planning notice proposed a public defibrillator on the outside wall. By September 2025, licensee Amy Buchanan had linked the pub with a neighbouring pizzeria for a weekly food-and-drink offer. Inside, the L-shaped lounge combines a wooden counter and gantry with upholstered bench seating. Downstairs, a separate function room has its own bar overlooking the garden. The pub is known locally as The Colly and welcomes walkers alongside its regular customers.
What to notice
- 01
White Colinton Inn lettering sits on black signs above the stone frontage.
- 02
The L-shaped lounge has a wooden counter and gantry, with upholstered bench seating nearby.
- 03
The downstairs function suite has a separate bar overlooking the garden.
The time rail
The building, the pub and its interior may date from different periods. The timeline keeps documented dates separate from tradition.
Edinburgh Libraries places Jane Johnston's spirit-dealing business probably in a cottage on the present inn site.
Jane Johnston's spirit premises were known as the Colinton Inn, according to the council-hosted local history.
R. Turnbull was listed as the spirit dealer at The Old Colinton Inn.
A planning application proposed fitting a public-use defibrillator to the inn's external wall.
Licensee Amy Buchanan had established a partnership with a neighbouring pizzeria for a weekly Pizza & a Pint offer.
Sources & confidence
Council-hosted local history and a scanned history-society article support Jane Johnston's early spirit business and the inn name by 1868; they share a dependence group and disagree on her death year, which remains excluded. The original 1900 directory names R. Turnbull. A 2019 statutory notice records a proposed wall-mounted defibrillator, not installation or current availability. Star Pubs documents Amy Buchanan's neighbouring-pizzeria partnership by September 2025, without dating its launch. Seven-day hours follow the directly inspected CAMRA record, surveyed January 2026, which explicitly specifies midnight Friday/Saturday; ambiguous operator wording is disclosed rather than silently rewritten.
Research reviewed
- Colinton Inn: community pub and contact detailsColinton Innofficial
SupportsCurrent community pub welcoming locals and walkers, simple food and drinks, 12-14 Bridge Road, EH13 0LQ and 0131 441 5821. Inspected official exterior photograph shows sandstone, white window framing and black signs with white Colinton Inn lettering.
- Colinton Inn: where to find us and opening hoursColinton Innofficial
SupportsThe operator's current page agrees with CAMRA on 13:00 opening every day and 23:00 closing Monday-Thursday/Sunday. Friday/Saturday literally says 1pm-12pm; this wording is retained as ambiguous, not claimed to have been corrected by the operator. Names Amy Buchanan as contact, not legal owner.
- Colinton Inn, Edinburgh: CAMRA venue recordCAMRA Edinburgh and South East Scotlandspecialist
SupportsThe Colly alias; L-shaped lounge with wooden counter and gantry, bench seating, downstairs function suite with its own bar overlooking the garden. Current drinks/food and events; full exterior photograph. Surveyed 29 January 2026, updated 5 February 2026: Monday-Thursday/Sunday 13:00-23:00 and Friday/Saturday 13:00-Midnight explicitly. This surveyed specialist record is the chosen practical-hours authority; the operator's ambiguous 12pm wording remains disclosed.
- ReDrawing Edinburgh: Colinton, Jane Johnston panelEdinburgh Libraries, City of Edinburgh Councilheritage
SupportsPDF page 3: widowed Jane Johnston arrived around 1850 and became a grocer/spirit dealer, probably in a rented cottage on the present pub site. By 1868 her spirit premises bore the Colinton Inn name. Historical interpretation, not original census/deed. Janefield and 1874 bridge developments do not date the present pub shell.
- Colinton Inn: exact OpenStreetMap node 1929308806OpenStreetMap contributorsappearance
SupportsExact named pub node at 12 Bridge Road, EH13 0LQ, 55.9074504,-3.2561518, checked inside building way 322763549. Official 12-14 address and telephone take precedence over narrower/stale OSM contact tags.
- Jane Johnston, Derek Douglas article, C&B News September 2021 p14Colinton Local History Society / C&B Newsheritage
SupportsInspected scanned article: 1851 census grocer/spirit dealer; October 1868 Scotsman calls Colinton Inn. Describes enlarged inn without dating its construction. Gives death 1888, conflicting with council 1883. Janefield and schoolhouse-garden purchases are separate properties.
- Edinburgh and South of Scotland trades directory, 1900, printed p1631900 trade directory, retained digitisation via Electric Scotlandarchive
SupportsPrinted page 163, left-column spirit dealers continuing the Colinton section, names R. Turnbull at The Old Colinton Inn. It identifies an operator by 1900, not the date that tenancy began. Original PDF retained from prior research; newly extracted and visually inspected page 166.
- Edinburgh Gazette 28260, printed p1980, application 19/04633/FULCity of Edinburgh Council / The Gazettegovernment
SupportsNovember 2019 statutory notice records application to fit a public-use defibrillator to the external wall at Colinton Inn, 12 Bridge Road, EH13 0LQ. This is a physical proposal, not proof of permission, installation, or present-day equipment availability.
- MyStar News September 2025: pizza takeaway link-upStar Pubsofficial
Supports8 September 2025 owner account identifies licensee Amy Buchanan and an established partnership with the neighbouring pizzeria for Wednesday Pizza & a Pint. Supports changed food offer by September 2025, not a launch date or a promise the promotion is still current.
