Drummond Place Garden
A communal garden owned by the proprietors of Drummond Place, Edinburgh
About the Garden
In accordance with the Charter of 1823 and 1846, the Garden is communally owned by the proprietors of Drummond Place.
In effect it is the total of the front gardens of each of the 120 proprietors who own property on Drummond Place. The Garden is part of each property and the proprietors are required to pay an annual subscription, which is a burden on the property.
Over the years the proprietors have formulated a set of regulations to ensure that all who have a right of access to the Garden may derive the maximum pleasure from it. Individual keyholders are expected to ensure that the use of the Garden by themselves, members of their families, or their guests, does not cause damage or interfere with the rights of others.
The proprietors have also determined that they will give access to the garden for a number of additional keyholders on payment of an annual subscription. Such access is currently limited to a catchment area which is constrained to properties immediately adjacent to Drummond Place.
Individual keyholders are expected to ensure that use of the Garden by themselves, members of their families or their guests, does not cause damage or interfere with the rights of others.
Proprietors pay an annual subscription
The Garden is managed by a Garden Management Committee
How is the garden managed?
The Garden is managed by a Garden Management Committee who are elected annually at an Annual General Meeting of the Proprietors.
Management of the subscriptions, issue of the keys and production of the Accounts are performed on behalf of the Management Committee by Whitelaw Wells, 9 Ainslie Place, 0131 226 5822.
How to apply for a key
Access to the Garden is of necessity limited to Proprietors and a small number of Additional Keyholders.
The Proprietors can give access to a limited number of Additional Keyholders. This limit is there to ensure that the Proprietors can enjoy their own garden when they wish to. The proprietors decided long ago that the number of additional keys issued should not exceed one third of their own number.
The current catchment area is therefore limited to the pavilion buildings immediately adjacent to Drummond Place. These are either on the corners or the first building up the adjacent streets which generally have windows which look out into the Garden. (A distant sideways view of the Garden does not count.) . The occupiers of these additional dwellings may be given access as Additional Keyholders. This is a privilege and not a right.
New owners of these properties may apply for a key from the Garden Management Committee who on confirmation that they live within the current catchment area will authorise the issue of a key on payment of the current annual fee. On selling the property these owners must return the key and new owners must themselves apply for access.
“What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare…”
Contact us
Please only contact us regarding access once you have checked the conditions of access. This will avoid us having to reject any invalid applications. Thank you.