House & Family History: The three-story Inverleith House was designed by David Henderson in 1774 for James Rocheid, whose family had owned the Inverleith Estate since 1665. The House has two northern pavilions linked to it by diagonal screen walls. In 1820 part of the Estate was purchased for the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), which moved from its Leith Walk site in 1823-24 to Inverleith. In 1876, the House and its surrounding 30 acres and policies were purchased by the government and the city from the Fettes Trust as an extension to the RBGE; this was opened to the public in 1881. In 1877 the House was altered by William Robertson and became the official residence of the garden's regius keeper (at that time, John Hutton Balfour), an office also combined with that of her majesty's botanist (a member of the Royal Household in Scotland) and regius professor of botany at the University of Edinburgh. In 1960 the House became the founding home of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, a purpose it served until 1984, when the gallery moved to its present location in the former John Watson Institution in west Edinburgh. In 1986 the RBGE became a non-departmental public body, with the House being returned to the RBGE as a gallery and exhibition center in the heart of the gardens. In 2004 Inverleith House underwent substantial refurbishment, funded by the Scottish Arts Council. In October 2016 the RBGE announced that they were closing Inverleith House because of financial challenges.

House Listed: Category B

Park Listed: Not Listed

Past Seat / Home of: James Rocheid, 18th century; Rocheid family here since 1665.

Current Ownership Type: Charity / Nonprofit

Primary Current Ownership Use: Visitor Attraction

Ownership Details: Owned by The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and operated as a public art gallery.

House Open to Public: Yes

Phone: 01315-527-171

Fax: 01312-482-901

Website: http://www.rbge.org.uk

Historic Houses Member: No