Historic Places in East Lothian

Dunbar Castle is a dramatically situated ruined castle on a rocky promontory at the entrance to Dunbar Harbour in East Lothian, its fragmentary walls rising directly from the sea rocks and framing one of the most atmospheric harbour views on the east coast of Scotland. A stronghold of the powerful Earls of Dunbar, the castle controlled the main coastal route between Edinburgh and England and was the scene of Black Agnes, Countess of Dunbar's celebrated five-month defence against English forces in 1337-38. The castle was destroyed in 1568 by order of the Scottish Parliament. The town of Dunbar was the birthplace of John Muir, the Scottish-American naturalist and founder of the American national park movement, celebrated through the John Muir Birthplace museum and the John Muir Country Park on the nearby coast.

Fa'side Castle near Tranent in East Lothian is a sixteenth-century tower house on a prominent ridgeline with extensive views across the fertile coastal plain toward the Firth of Forth and the hills of Fife. The castle was burned during the English advance in the Battle of Pinkie in 1547, one of the most significant sixteenth-century battles in Scottish history, and subsequently rebuilt. Now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland following restoration work, the castle provides one of the more unusual and viewpoint-rich castle experiences in East Lothian, a county rich in medieval and early modern heritage including Tantallon Castle on its clifftop, the Lammermuir hills and the various Lothian tower houses.

Tantallon Castle is located 3 miles south-east of North Berwick, in East Lothian, Scotland. It is built in an imposing position on a promontory opposite the Bass Rock, looking out onto the Firth of Forth. Tantallon is a curtain wall castle with a single wall blocking off the headland, with the other three sides protected by sea cliffs. The ruin is now in the care of Historic Scotland. To the south-west, the massive 15m tall curtain wall blocks off the promontory forming an inner courtyard. The curtain wall has a tower at either end, and a heavily fortified tower gatehouse in the centre. There are several small chambers within the walls, and stairs accessing a parapet walk that connects the three towers. The northwest tower, known as the Douglas Tower, was circular and seven storeys high. The lowest storey was a pit prison. The East Tower is D-shaped and was originally five storeys high. The central gatehouse tower is square with four storeys of chambers. The main entrance ran through a passage below, protected by a drawbridge, three pairs of doors and a portcullis. There are two corner turrets, facing in toward the courtyard, where a 16th century spiral stair gives access to the head of the curtain wall. There is a north range of buildings running at right angles to the main curtain wall. The range is joined to the Douglas Tower of the main curtain wall. Alongside the curtain wall is a deep, rock-cut ditch. Tantallon Castle was built in the mid 14th century by William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas and remained in the Douglas family for most of its history. In 1397 George Douglas, Earl of Angus (of the Red Douglases) married Mary the daughter of King Robert III, allying with the Royal House of Stewart. In 1482, The 5th Earl of Angus (Archibald "Bell the cat") conspired against James IV. In 1491 Tantallon Castle was besieged by James IV, but the Douglases submitted and the castle did not suffer extensive damage. In 1525, the 6th Earl of Angus kidnapped the young King James V. In 1528, at age 16, King James V escaped and sent troops to attack Tantallon, which was besieged and bombarded with cannon for 20 days. The defensive ditch prevented the cannons being brought close enough to the walls to do serious damage. Angus fled to England, leaving the castle to James V. Tantallon was retained as a Royal fortress until James V died in 1542, when the Earl of Angus recovered it. In 1650, Oliver Cromwell's forces invaded Scotland and laid siege to Tantallon bombarding it with cannon until a breach was made in the Douglas Tower. The Douglases surrendered and Tantallon was left in ruins and was never repaired or inhabited afterwards. The Douglases finally sold Tantallon in 1699, but the castle decayed further. In 1924, the castle was handed over to the UK Government Office of Works and is now in the care of Historic Scotland. The Arts Sir Walter Scott described the castle in his 1808 poem Marmion.

Dirleton Castle is a situated in the village of Dirleton, East Lothian (about 19 miles east of Edinburgh). The castle was built in the 13th century by John De Vaux, and was abandoned by the end of the 17th century. Dirleton Castle is built on a rocky outcrop guarding the coastal approach to Edinburgh from England. The ruins of a 13th-century keep remain, along with an adjacent 16th-century house. The keep is made up of a large round tower to the south, a smaller round tower to the west, with the two round towers joined by a square tower. Other buildings within the courtyard have been demolished and basement levels of some of these survive. The castle is surrounded by gardens, which may have been first laid out in the 16th century, but is mainly 20th century plantings. There is a 16th century doocot, or pigeon house within the gardens. The castle was heavily damaged during the Wars of Scottish Independence, when it was twice taken by the English. Dirleton was acquired by the Ruthvens in 1505. The Ruthvens were involved in several plots against Mary, Queen of Scots and King James VI, and eventually forfeited the castle in 1600. Oliver Cromwell besieged the during the Third English Civil War in 1650. The damaged castle was then acquired by the Nisbets of Dirleton who continued to maintain the castle grounds. They handed Dirleton into state care in 1923. The ruins and gardens are now in the care of Historic Scotland.

Hailes Castle is situated about 1.5 miles south west of East Linton, East Lothian, Scotland. This castle belonged to the Hepburn family. The major remaining structure is the West Tower, and also the smaller remains of the central tower. Other remains include a roofless chamber that may have been a chapel, a vaulted basement bakehouse and brewhouse. Only a finger of stonework remains of the East Tower. Hailes Castle has been owned by the state since 1926, and it is administered by Historic Scotland. The castle was originally built as a fortified tower house by Hugo de Gourlay in the 14th century. The de Gourlays supported the English in the Wars of Independence, and their land was forfeited and the castle and lands were given was given to Sir Adam de Hepburn. One of his descendents Sir Patrick Hepburn extended the castle in the 15th century building a large square tower to the west of the original castle, and a lower tower to the East. The thick curtain wall of the castle may date back to the 13th century. The castle was attacked by Archibald Dunbar in 1443 resulting in the massacre of the castle's inhabitants. In 1547 Lord Grey of Wilton occupied it for the English in 1547. In 1567 Mary Queen of Scots visited Hailes Castle. Oliver Cromwell partly destroyed the castle in 1650 after the battle of Dunbar. It later passed into the hands of the Stewarts, the Setons, and finally, in 1700, the Dalrymple of Hailes family. By the mid-19th century the castle was being used as a granary.

Seton Collegiate Church near Longniddry in East Lothian is one of the finest and most complete medieval collegiate churches in Scotland, a late fourteenth-century church of considerable quality that preserves the choir and transepts of the original building in remarkable completeness, including the vaulted choir ceiling and the late medieval stone carvings that make it one of the most rewarding ecclesiastical heritage sites in the Lothians. Historic Environment Scotland manages the church, which is freely accessible to visitors. The church was founded as a collegiate establishment by Lady Janet Seton in 1492, although the fabric includes earlier work from the later fourteenth century when the Seton family first developed the church as a burial place. Collegiate churches, endowed to support a college of priests who sang masses for the souls of the founders and their families, were a major form of late medieval religious patronage in Scotland, and Seton represents one of the most architecturally distinguished examples of this institution. The church's association with Mary Queen of Scots gives it a historical resonance beyond its architectural interest. Mary visited Seton several times, playing golf on the links nearby in recorded accounts that make her one of the earliest named women golfers in history, and the Seton family were among her most loyal supporters. The proximity of the church to the site of Seton Palace, the Seton family seat destroyed in the seventeenth century, makes this corner of East Lothian one of the most layered Mary Queen of Scots landscapes in Scotland. The East Lothian coast near the church provides excellent walking and the nearby Gosford Estate with its Adam house provides further architectural and landscape interest.

Fenton Tower is located between Gullane and North Berwick, 20km outside of Edinburgh. The Tower sits on a hilltop. It is five storeys high, with two spiral staircases, the wells of which are visible from the outside. The building is a light pink, to match the original. Its walls are fortified and up to 8 feet thick at some points. The windows were made very small on the ground floor for defense, but they are unusually big on upper floors. Facilities Fenton Tower is in use as a hotel, a venue for corporate business events, private dinners, afternoon teas, and weddings. It has five suites which can accommodate up to 12 people and provides all meals either in the dining hall or in private rooms. A tower has stood fortified on site since the 11th Century, though the current Fenton Tower was built around 1550. It was built by Patrick Whytelaw, who was Lord Ruthven's son and was of the typical structure for a fortified tower. In 1587, Sir John Carmichael took over ownership of the tower, probably as a reward from the Crown for his loyalty and for being Scotland's ambassador to Denmark. James VI of Scotland took refuge at Fenton Tower with the Carmichaels in 1591, after escaping army fire in Fife with the help of locals, and making his way across the Firth of Forth. James later became James I of Scotland and England and, after Carmichael's death, gave the Tower to Sir Thomas Erskine who went on to assume the titles of Lord Dirleton, Viscount Fenton and Earl of Kellie. The Tower was ruined in 1650 by Oliver Cromwell, who presumably killed its resident proprietor, the Earl of Dirleton. In 1663 it passed to John Nisbet, and in the 1850s the land and ruins were turned over to the Simpsons. The restoration of the tower commenced in 1998 and it is now open as both a hotel and a venue for functions. The Arts Fenton Castle featured in the BBC's children's series, BALAMORY.