Lost Roman Eagle Found in Corstorphine

I was wandering round my local heritage centre today when I saw a carving on the floor. It was upside down but I immediately recognised it – the lost eagle of Ingliston.

For some time I have been trying to find the Eagle embedded in a farmhouse near Corstorphine first mentioned in 17th century texts. I found a picture taken in 1974 of the carved bird that had been misfiled under the title “Ingliston Milestone” in Scotland’s database of Roman artefacts with the title West Mains Of Ingliston. I searched all the farmhouses in the area by bike over many weeks failing to find the carving. It was a big surprise to find if half a mile from where I live in the Corstorphine Heritage Centre.