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The pub’s story
Thirty Knots is the latest hospitality chapter in an earlier-nineteenth-century Category B-listed villa at 2 Newhalls Road. Historic Environment Scotland records the house’s earlier names. Moncrief House, Newhalls Villa and Holst House. And says its private use changed to pub and restaurant use in 1992. The present operator took over the former Three Bridges premises and opened Thirty Knots on 10 December 2022. It now frames itself as an informal pub-restaurant, with a private event space and a terrace looking across the Forth. That distinction matters: the nineteenth-century fabric belongs to the former villa, while the bar’s own story begins in 2022. It is a thoughtfully repurposed historic building rather than an old pub operating unchanged.
What to notice
- 01
The symmetrical villa core, arched entrance and fanlight pre-date the current business by more than a century.
- 02
Treat the older building history and the 2022 Thirty Knots opening as separate stories.
- 03
The Forth-facing terrace is weather-dependent; check the venue before travelling for an outdoor table.
The time rail
The building, the pub and its interior may date from different periods. The timeline keeps documented dates separate from tradition.
The original three-bay villa was built; later east and west wings enlarged it.
The former Holst House was listed at Category B.
Historic Environment Scotland records conversion from private house to pub and restaurant use.
Thirty Knots opened in the former Three Bridges premises.
The operator continues to describe a pub-restaurant, event space and Forth-facing terrace.
Sources & confidence
Historic Environment Scotland controls the early-nineteenth-century villa, 1979 listing and 1992 pub conversion. The current operator and CAMRA establish the present pub-restaurant; contemporary trade reporting fixes the Thirty Knots opening in December 2022. The profile prevents the old building from being mistaken for an old pub.
Research reviewed
- Thirty KnotsThirty Knots / Buzzworksofficial
SupportsCurrent venue identity, setting, terrace, event space and contact details.
- Contact UsThirty Knots / Buzzworksofficial
SupportsCurrent address and published weekly opening times.
- Thirty Knots, South QueensferryBuzzworks booking platformofficial
SupportsCurrent operator description, food-and-drink offer and opening times.
- 2 and 3 Newhalls Road, the Two Bridges Hotel (LB40357)Historic Environment Scotlandheritage
SupportsVilla chronology, former names, Category B listing and 1992 licensed conversion.
- Buzzworks unveils new Thirty Knots venue in EdinburghCatering Todayeditorial
SupportsContemporary report on the former Three Bridges site and 2022 launch.
- Thirty Knots, South QueensferryCAMRAspecialist
SupportsIndependent venue classification and terrace context; its hours are not used because the record warns they may be stale.
