Bolton's Cottages, The Brae, Athelstaneford

Bolton’s Cottages are a row of four late 18th-century single-storey cottages, with later additions. Two of the original cottages have been combined to form a single house. The cottages are built of random rubble, rendered, and have window margins re-rendered in concrete. The central cottages have three bays, with a central door and enlarged windows on either side, fitted with four-pane glazing. The northernmost cottage retains its original openings, featuring wooden lintels. The cottage to the south has double workshop doors and a small single window to the right, with six-pane glazing. The roofs are covered in red pantiles with straight skews, and the chimneys are rendered. The rear of the cottages has seen little alteration. Historical photographs taken in the 19th century show the cottages as part of a cotter’s smallholding, and related outbuildings remain opposite. Records including J Donaldson’s plan of the Gilmerton Estate from 1784 (reference RHP 1393) provide further context.