Sighthill, Edinburgh facts for kids

Sighthill is a neighbourhood located in the western part of Edinburgh, Scotland. It's surrounded by other areas like Broomhouse, Parkhead, South Gyle, and Wester Hailes. Since 2007, Sighthill has been an important part of the City of Edinburgh Council's local area, known as the Sighthill/Gorgie ward.

Modern Changes in Sighthill

Two of Sighthill's tall apartment buildings in 2007.

New homes built in Sighthill in 2019.

For almost 50 years, four very tall apartment buildings, called "tower blocks," stood out in Sighthill. These buildings were named Broomview House, Glenalmond Court, Hermiston Court, and Weir Court.

Broomview House, which had 11 floors, was taken down on September 21, 2008. It was a controlled explosion, meaning experts carefully planned how it would fall. A person who used to live there even got to press the button! The other three tall buildings were also taken down on September 25, 2011, using the same method. Many of the smaller, older council homes nearby were also removed over the next few years.

New plans for the area were approved, and a company called Keepmoat built many new homes. This big building project was finished in 2020, completely changing the look of the area. North of these new houses, you'll find the local public park.

The older part of Sighthill, to the south, has mostly "cottage flat" homes. These are like four apartments in one building. This part of Sighthill has stayed pretty much the same since it was built in the late 1940s, just like the nearby Parkhead area.

What Sighthill Offers

Learning and Education

Sighthill is home to important places for learning. Edinburgh College (which used to be called Stevenson College) has a campus here. Also, Edinburgh Napier University has its Sighthill Campus in the area. This campus used to be the Edinburgh Business College.

Health, Safety, and Shopping

Sighthill has a medical centre where you can see doctors and nurses. There's also a fire station, which helps keep everyone safe. You can find a public library for books and learning, along with some shops for your daily needs. The health centre in Sighthill was one of the very first modern health clinics in the UK. It was part of a test to see if having doctors in one place worked better than doctors visiting homes.

Getting Around Sighthill

The Calder Road, a major road in Edinburgh, goes through Sighthill. It's only about 0.5 miles from the Edinburgh city bypass (A720) and the connection to the M8 motorway, which is a big highway. The Edinburgh–Dunblane line railway, which connects to Glasgow Queen Street, is also close by to the north. The Edinburgh Trams also run nearby, connecting the city centre to Edinburgh Airport. The Union Canal, a historic waterway, runs along the south-west edge of the area.

Many buses serve Sighthill, making it easy to travel around Edinburgh and beyond.

• Lothian Buses provides these routes:
  • 3: Clovenstone - Wester Hailes - Sighthill - Gorgie - Haymarket - Princes Street - Newington - Gilmerton - Dalkeith - Mayfield
  • 21: Clovenstone - Wester Hailes - Sighthill - Corstorphine - Clermiston - Ferry Road - Leith - Lochend - Portobello - Niddrie - Royal Infirmary
  • 25: Heriot-Watt University - Sighthill - Gorgie - Haymarket - Princes Street - Leith - Lochend - Restalrig
  • 34: Heriot-Watt University - Sighthill - Longstone - Slateford - Fountainpark - Lothian Road - Princes Street - Lochend - Leith - Ocean Terminal
  • 35: Heriot-Watt University - Sighthill - Slateford - Fountainpark - Bristo Square - Holyrood - Leith - Ocean Terminal
  • 36: Gyle Centre - Sighthill - Longstone - Glenlockhart - Morningside - West End - Cannonmills - Bonnington - Leith - Ocean Terminal
  • X27: Regent Road - The Exchange - Balgreen - Sighthill - Hermiston - Wilkieston - Calderwood - East Calder - Livingston - Bathgate
  • X28: Regent Road - The Exchange - Balgreen - Sighthill - Hermiston - Kirknewton - East Calder - Livingston - Bathgate
  • Skylink 400: Edinburgh Airport - Gyle Centre - Sighthill - Wester Hailes - Colinton - Oxgangs - Fairmilehead - Gracemount - Gilmerton - Royal Infirmary - Niddrie - Fort Kinnaird
  • N25: Riccarton - Hermiston P&R - Sighthill - Gorgie - Haymarket - Leith Street
  • N28: Bathgate - Livingston - East Calder - Wilkieston - Hermiston - Sighthill - Balgreen - The Exchange - Leith Street
• McGill's Scotland East also provides these routes:
  • 20: Chesser - Kingsknowe - Clovenstone - Wester Hailes - The Calders - Hermiston Gait - Gyle Centre - Ratho Station - Ratho
  • 63: Balerno - Currie - Heriot-Watt University - Sighthill - Hermiston Gait - Gyle Centre - Ratho Station - Newbridge - Kirkliston - Queensferry
  • X22: Regent Road - Haymarket - Dalry - Gorgie - Sighthill - Hermiston - Wilkieston - East Calder - Livingston

Who Lives in Sighthill?

Here's a quick look at the different groups of people living in Sighthill compared to all of Edinburgh:

Sighthill on Screen

Sighthill has been used as a filming location for different TV shows and movies. One of the most well-known was the 1998 BBC Scotland TV drama Looking After Jo Jo. This show starred Robert Carlyle and was filmed in Sighthill and nearby Niddrie.

Other productions filmed here include Quite Ugly One Morning, which starred James Nesbitt. Parts of a movie based on a book by Christopher Brookmyre were also filmed in Sighthill. More recently, the apartment buildings in Sighthill were used as a background for the 2010 film Outcast, a Celtic fantasy thriller, also starring James Nesbitt.

Famous People from Sighthill

• John Rae, a talented jazz musician.
• Jamie Walker, a professional footballer.