Historic Scottish Houses: Buildings Scotland

Historic Scottish House Photos, Buildings, Homes, Old Scotland Architecture Images, Architect

Historic Scottish House : Architecture

Country Properties in Edinburgh & Lothian, Scotland, UK

post updated 16 August 2023

Scottish Castle – Quick List

Glasgow House / Edinburgh House

Scottish Houses

Key Building: Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel Edinburgh
World-famous, mystical chapel with links to Freemasons and the Crusaders:
Rosslyn Chapel

Historic Scottish Houses

Photos © Adrian Welch

Scottish Homes + Castles, alphabetical:

Ballencrieff Castle
Ballencrieff, by Aberlady, East Lothian
Ballencrieff Castle

Barnes Castle
north-east of Haddington, East Lothian
description offline: online again soon

Blackness Castle
Blackness (on the Forth), 4m north-east of Linlithgow
Blackness Castle

Borthwick Castle
hotel: Borthwick, Midlothian – 12m south of Edinburgh, nr Gorebridge
Borthwick Castle
Eight-storey keep begun in 1420. Damage to parapet by Cromwell’s cannon
Borthwick Castle

Craigmillar Castle
Craigmillar Castle Road, 3m south-east of Edinburgh off the A68
Craigmillar Castle
Built round an L-plan tower house from e.15th century
Craigmillar Castle

Crichton Castle
Pathhead, Midlothian – 2.5m south-west of Pathhead off the A68
Crichton Castle
16th century castle in hilly pasture, with Collegiate church to the East
Crichton Castle

Dalhousie Castle
hotel, nr Bonnyrigg, south of Edinburgh, Midlothian
The 32-bedroom property is set in nine acres
Dalhousie Castle

Dalkeith Castle and Palace
Dalkeith, south-east of Edinburgh, Midlothian
Probably 12th century
Dalkeith Castle

Dalquharran Castle
Dailly, Ayrshire
by architect Robert Adam
Dalquharran Castle

Dirleton Castle
Dirleton, East Lothian – 2m west of North Berwick
Dirleton Castle
Built in the 12th century
Dirleton Castle

Dunbar Castle
Ruin: Dunbar, East Lothian – north end of Dunbar harbour
Set on a headland jutting into the North Sea, the old red sandstone ruin dates to the 12th century when it was a Cockspatrick family stronghold.
Scottish Castle
Dunbar Castle

Dundas Castle
South Queensferry, Edinburgh, West Lothian
Built in 1818 by William Burn, stately home of Sir Jack Stewart-Clark
Dundas Castle

Edinburgh Castle
Castlehill, Old Town, central Edinburgh
Edinburgh Castle
World-famous castle set at the top of the Royal Mile
Edinburgh Castle page on Edinburgh Architecture site

Fenton Tower
Kingston, North Berwick, East Lothian
Fortified 16th Century tower; luxury accommodation for up to 12 people
Fenton Tower

Hailes Castle
1.5m south-west of East Linton, east of Haddington
Hailes Castle
Ruin overlooking River Tyne, incorporating fortified 13thC. manor
Hailes Castle

Lauriston Castle
2a Cramond Road South, Davidson’s Mains , Edinburgh
16th century towerhouse with 19th century additions
Lauriston Castle

Liberton Tower
Braid Hills, south Edinburgh
late 15th century castle, restored by Castles of Scotland Preservation Trust
Liberton Tower

Linlithgow Palace
Linlithgow, off the M9
Ruin of a great Royal Palace set in its own park beside Linlithgow Loch. Birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots.
All the Stewart kings lived here from James I
Linlithgow Palace

Luffness Castle
Luffness, Aberlady, East Lothian
Luffness Castle

Melville Castle
Melville Gate, Gilmerton Road, nr Dalkeith, Midlothian
Melville Castle

Midhope Castle
west of Abercorn, West Lothian
16th century, Category A Scheduled Monument
Midhope Castle

Palace of Holyroodhouse
Canongate (base of Royal Mile), central Edinburgh
Holyrood
Royal Abbey and palace administered by the Lord Chamberlain
Palace of Holyroodhouse

Peffermill House
This stone-built fortified tower-house from 1636 stands in four acres of gardens at the end of a private drive. It is an A-listed building, renovated a number of years ago and can be rented out.

Preston Tower
central Prestonpans, East Lothian
Preston Tower

Mercat Cross 50m to south-east
Prestonpans

Redhouse Castle
Redhouse, Spittal, East Lothian – just east of Longniddry
Redhouse Castle
Ruin: 16th century courtyard castle
Redhouse Castle

Tantallon Castle
3m east of North Berwick off the A198, East Lothian
North Berwick Building
Built in the mid-14th century. Set on the edge of the cliffs, looking out to Bass Rock.
Tantallon Castle

Scottish Capital Historic Houses

Dalmeny House
South Queensferry, off A90, north-west of Edinburgh
Dalmeny House
Dalmeny House

The Georgian House
7 Charlotte Square, New Town, central Edinburgh
Charlotte Square
Charlotte Square : Edinburgh New Town

House of the Binns
4m east of Linlithgow, off A904, West Lothian
House of the Binns

Gladstone’s Land
477b Lawnmarket, Royal Mile, Old Town, central Edinburgh
Gladstones Land

John Knox House
43/45 High Street, Old Town, central Edinburgh
John Knox House
John Knox House

Hopetoun House
2m west of South Queensferry, off A904, north-west of Edinburgh, West Lothian
Hopetoun House
Hopetoun House

John Muir Birthplace
126 High Street, Dunbar, East Lothian
John Muir
John Muir Birthplace opened 2003
John Muir House

Lennoxlove House
1m south of Haddington, off B6369, East Lothian
Lennoxlove Castle
Lennoxlove Castle

Mavisbank House
not open to public, infamous Robert Adam ruin
Mavisbank House

Mellerstain House
near Kelso, Scottish Borders
Mellerstain House
image © Adrian Welch
Mellerstain House

Nelson Monument
Calton Hill, central Edinburgh
Nelson Monument
Perched high on Calton Hill is the monument to Admiral Lord Nelson’s victory, and death, at the battle of Trafalgar, on 21 October 1805.
Nelson Monument

National Monument
National Monument
For other buildings on Calton Hill see end of Edinburgh New Town Tour

Preston Mill & Phantassie Doocot
eastern edge of East Linton, off A1, East Lothian
Preston Mill

Phantassie Doocot
Phantassie Doocot
Preston Mill

Scott Monument
East Princes Street Gardens, New Town, central Edinburgh
Scott Monument, Edinburgh
Sir Walter Scott died in 1832. In 1836, an architectural competition was launched, inviting designs for an appropriate memorial to Scotland’s famous writer.
Scott Monument

Strathleven House – restoration, Dunbarton, West Dunbartonshire
2003
Nicholas Groves-Raines Architects
For Scottish Historic Buildings Trust

Traquair House, Innerleithen, Scottish Borders
1107
Traquair House
photo © Adrian Welch
Historic Scottish Borders house

Winton House
north of Pencaitland, East Lothian
Winton House, dates from the 15th century when a tower house was built on the land granted by King David I in around 1152.
Winton House

Arniston House
1m north-east of Temple, Gorebridge, Midlothian
Arniston House
Arniston House

Scottish Capital Churches

Scottish Churches

Canongate Kirk
on the Royal Mile opposite Crichton’s Close
Canongate Kirk
Graceful Kirk frontage (1688), set back from the Royal Mile.
Canongate Kirk

Dalmeny Church
Dalmeny Village, nr. South Queensferry
Dalmeny Church
Dalmeny Church

Duddingston Kirk
Duddingston Village, Edinburgh
Scottish Church
Duddingston Kirk

Gifford Church
centre of Gifford, East Lothian
Gifford Church
Gifford Church

Holyrood Abbey
At foot of Canongate, Old Town, central Edinburgh
Scottish Abbey
In the grounds of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The ruined nave of the 12th & 13th century abbey church, built for Augustinian canons.
Holyrood Abbey

St Mary’s Church: Lauderdale Aisle
just south of town centre, by river, Haddington, East Lothian
East Lothian Church
Great 15th century parish church: St Mary’s is one of the ‘three sisters’ Scottish Collegiate churches, set in capitals and former capitals of Scotland, including Edinburgh and Linlithgow.
St Marys Haddington

Rosslyn Chapel
Roslin, south of Edinburgh, Midlothian by Roslin Glen
Rosslyn Chapel Edinburgh
World-famous, mystical chapel with links to Freemasons and the Crusaders. The foundation stone for Rosslyn Chapel was laid on St. Matthews day, 1446. The orientation is marked out by the solar ray by ancient tradition. A double equilateral triangle regulates the proportions at Rosslyn.

St Martin’s Kirk
just east of town centre, Haddington, East Lothian
historic scottish building
The ruined nave of a Romanesque church, altered in the 13th century
St Martins Kirk

St Triduana’s Chapel
Restarig Collegiate Church off Restalrig Road South, east Edinburgh
The lower part of a chapel built by James III, housing the shrine of St Triduana, a Pictish saint. Hexagonal vaulted chamber.
St Triduanas Chapel

Seton Collegiate Church
1m south-east of Cockenzie, off the A198, East Lothian
Historic Scottish Church
15th century chancel & apse.
Seton Church

Torphichen Preceptory
In Torphichen village, nr Bathgate
Built by the Knights Hospitaller of the Order of St John in the 13th century.
Torphichen Preceptory

Whitekirk
Whitekirk, south of North Berwick, East Lothian
Scottish Kirk
Large 15thC church, visited by Pope Pius II and popular with pligrims to this day
Whitekirk

Scottish Capital Mausoleum / Graves

The Craigentinny Marbles
Craigentinny Crescent, off Portobello Road, Edinburgh
Large mausoleum structure with bas-relief marble sculptures.
Craigentinny Marbles

More Historic Scottish Houses images / information very welcome.

Location: Scotland

Architecture in Scotland

Scottish Architecture Designs – chronological list

Scottish Castles

One of the key Scottish Castles we feature is Castle Tioram in Ardnamurchan, the furthest west part of Scotland: Castle Tioram

Scottish House

Scottish Architecture

Scottish Architect

Comments for Historic Scottish Houses page welcome