Lauriston Castle
Lauriston Castle Details
Lauriston Castle, a C16 tower of the Napiers with C19 mansion of Lord Rutherford. House and gardens open to the public.
- Closest To: Edinburgh, Cramond
- Access: Occasional Access
- Grid Reference: NT203761
Lauriston Castle is an extended T-shaped tower house used as a museum in a public park on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The park is provided with ample parking and the castle is surrounded by a number of garden areas which are accessible and pleasant to spend time in.
The house was built in the early 17th century for Sir Archibald Napier of Merchiston, and replaced the ruins an earlier castle or tower that had been demolished by the English in 1544. In the early 19th century the tower house was extended with a large mansion house; the old tower now occupies one end of the buildings here. In 1926 it was bequeathed to the City of Edinburgh, which still owns the property, and the interior retains the appearance of a (slightly eccentric) Edwardian mansion.
Official Lauriston Castle Museum website
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