Lauriston Castle

Lauriston Castle is a sixteenth century tower house with nineteenth century additions overlooking the Firth of Forth in Edinburgh (Scottish Gaelic: Linne Foirthe, Dùn Èideann). It is located in Davidsons Mains at 2a Cramond Road South, Edinburgh, EH4. On this site in medieval times stood a previous Castle. That building was almost totally destroyed in what is known as the Burning of Edinburgh in 1544 by an English sea-borne army. A tower house was re-built around 1590 by Sir Archibald Napier of Merchiston.

His descendants continued to own the property until 1683 when it was sold to the Law family who were to sell it to banker and mineralogist Thomas Allan in 1823. He arranged for the house to be extend in the Jacobean style. Subsequent owners were Lord Rutherfurd and Thomas Macknight Crawfurd. The building was finally acquired by Edinburgh business man William Robert Reid in 1902. Modern plumbing and electricity were installed, and he and his wife Margaret Reid built a significant collection of fine furniture and artwork. The Reids had no heirs and Mrs Reid left the property to the Scottish Nation on her death in 1926 on the condition that it should be preserved unchanged. The house and gardens are open to the public.

Link: Museums and Galleries Edinburgh Lauriston Castle.