Balerno
Balerno is a suburban area of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 8 miles (13 kilometres) south-west of the city centre, alongside Currie and afterwards Juniper Green. Administratively, Balerno drops within the jurisdiction of the City of Edinburgh Council. Its name originates from the Scottish Gaelic Baile Àirneach, meaning "townland/town of the hawthorns". The earliest created records of Balhernoch or Balernach are found in the late 13th century. The 18th Century brought significant advancement to the area, with lots of brand-new flax, snuff and also paper mills emerging around the Water of Leith as well as its tributary, the Bavelaw Burn (evidence of flax production can be seen in Harlaw Woods). The largest of these mills, Balerno Bank Paper Mill situated near the centre of the old village closed in the very early 1980s. After the First World War home building began in earnest in the location and since then domestic stress have virtually overwhelmed industrial and commercial ones. There was a brief loophole railway running over what is now the Water of Leith Walkway.
