St Leonards, the seat of Thomas Nelson, Esq., publisher, in the SE vicinity of Edinburgh, near the south-western base of Arthur's Seat, and 1½ mile SSE of the General Post Office. Surrounded by grounds 12 acres in extent, it is a lofty Scottish Baronial edifice, erected in 1869.70 from designs by Mr John Lessels.

(F.H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4); © 2004 Gazetteer for Scotland)