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SMALL cottage-style houses can be quirky and/or picturesque – The Signal House is both but the real surprise is its location, in Edinburgh’s historic Grassmarket and within sight of the castle.
To find a brick-built detached cottage complete with patio garden and secluded courtyard tucked away behind the tenements within the city’s Old Town World Heritage area seems incongruous.
It transpires the cottage is part of a listed building site known as Cordiner’s Land, named after the leather workers and shoemakers who thrived here during the Middle Ages.
At the time, the cordiners clustered around the western gate (West Port) of the city’s historic Flodden Wall, parts of which are still visible in the area.
Among the remaining fragments of the original site is a decorative stone panel featuring the Cordiner’s Guild symbol – a half moon, leather worker’s knife, and a crown.
A number of theories exist to explain the name of the Signal House, the most likely being that it was an important link in a chain of signal fires used to pass on the alert when Edinburgh Castle was under threat.
Inside, the bijou cottage’s accommodation is impeccably presented.
Laid out over two levels, it includes a hall, spacious double bedroom, modern shower room and breakfasting kitchen on the ground floor.
The living room is on the upper level, where its distinctive bow window frames a wonderful view of the iconic Edinburgh Castle.
An added bonus, planning permission has already been granted to extend the property and create a second bedroom complete with en suite facilities.
To the front of the Signal House is a private patio garden, while there is also a further area of shared garden and a secure communal bike store.
The cottage also has permit parking, a bit of a rarity in the centre of Scotland’s busy capital city.
A hidden gem in the historic heart of the city, The Signal House is for sale with Simpson & Marwick’s Edinburgh office at offers over £295,000.