1865 - 18-year-old London tea merchant George Lorimer returns to his family home in Edinburgh following the tragic death of his father at Edinburgh’s Theatre Royale. Whilst golfing at the Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society he meets Robert Clark, then Head Brewer at the Alexander Melvin Brewery in Edinburgh. After a few drinks, they agree to use George’s future inheritance to launch a brewery in the city.

1868 - George finally inherits his father’s estate and purchases the then 2.3-acre site alongside Slateford Road from the Earl of Sheldon.

1869 - With George providing the money and Robert providing the brewing expertise, the pair complete the brewery and name it the Lorimer & Clark Caledonian Brewery after the Caledonian Railway Line which still forms the northern boundary to the site. The first of the brewery’s impressive direct-fired coppers were installed in the same year.

1892 - Several buildings on the site were reconstructed following designs by Edinburgh architect Robert Hamilton Paterson – including the new brewery and maltings buildings.Although the brewery sold its beers and stouts all over Scotland, its most popular beer was Lorimer's Best Scotch which was sold predominantly in the north-east of England.

The popularity of Lorimer’s Best Scotch in northern England leads to the brewery being sold to Sunderland-based Vaux Breweries following the retirement and death of George Lorimer (Clark having died in 1874.)

1986 - Vaux cease brewing in Edinburgh and transfers its operations to its base in Sunderland, placing the Caledonian Brewery under threat of closure.

1987 - The brewery is saved by a management buy-out led by Head Brewer Russell Sharp and the Caledonian Brewing Company is formed.

1994 - 1998 - The brewery's maltings buildings is destroyed by fire in 1994 whilst another fire in October 1998 destroys one of the three original coppers. A local company comes to the rescue and hand-builds an exact replacement to the original plans. As part of the repairs, a new yeast room, cask-racking system and new settling tanks for keg beers are added, together with a kegging plant.

1999 - When Vaux ceases brewing operations altogether, Caledonian buys back the rights to the Lorimer & Clark name.

2004 - The brewery site and production facilities are bought by Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) following their closure of the McEwan's Brewery in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh. Production of McEwan's ales is subsequently transferred to the Caledonian Brewery. A new Caledonian Brewing Company (CBC) is formed by several former shareholders and directors of the pre-2004 business. CBC owns the Caledonian brands and operates the brewery site on behalf of the owners. Whilst S&N takes a 30% share in this business, CBC operates on an independent basis.

2008 - S&N buys the remaining shares in CBC to take full control of the company. Heineken then acquires the UK assets of Scottish and Newcastle which includes the Caledonian Brewery.

2022 - In May, Heineken announces the proposed closure of the Caledonian Brewery with an agreement in principle for Belhaven Brewery to brew its Scottish brands. In October, the site is placed on the market.

2023 - In December, Artisan Real Estate announces that it has purchased the site from Heineken with a consultation set to start in February 2024 for a sustainable community of 168 new homes to be developed on the site.

Artisan conducts a successful three-month consultation programme before submitting a detailed planning application to the City of Edinburgh Council in May.

Artisan’s planning application is granted planning consent at a meeting of the City of Edinburgh Council’s Development Sub Committee in May.