- published: 14 May 2013
- views: 1278
Coordinates: 55°53′07″N 3°20′15″W / 55.88518°N 3.337526°W / 55.88518; -3.337526
Balerno (Scottish Gaelic: Baile Àirneach) is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 12 kilometres south west of the city centre, next to Juniper Green and Currie. Administratively, Balerno falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edinburgh Council.
Its name derives from the Scottish Gaelic Baile Airneach, meaning "townland/town of the hawthorns". The earliest written records of Balhernoch or Balernach are found in the late 13th century.
The 18th Century brought substantial development to the area, with many new flax, snuff and paper mills springing up around the Water of Leith (evidence of flax production can be seen in Harlaw Woods). These mills were a prominent feature of village life until fairly recently. After the First World War house building began in earnest in the area and since then residential pressures have almost overwhelmed commercial and industrial ones. There was a short loop railway running over what is now the Water of Leith Walkway.