Smailholm Tower
Smailholm Tower Details
Smailhom Tower, a C15 tower house and courtyard of the Pringles abandoned C18. Restored C20 and now a museum.
- Closest To: Kelso, Melrose
- Access: Chargeable Public Access
- Grid Reference: NT638347
Smailholm Tower is a well-known tower house in the Scottish Borders built for the Pringle family in the 15th century on top of a prominent rocky outcrop. A small courtyard and ancillary buildings also occupied the outcrop, and today the tower survived to the roof. It is maintained by Historic Environment Scotland and is open for a fee with adequate parking, although it is a bit of a climb up the rock.
The tower was entered at ground floor level and had four floors with a single room. It was rather cramped for accommodation, and as soon as peace broke out in the Borders in 1603 the Pringles needed to improve things. This was beyond their financial means, and in 1645 they sold Smailholm to the Scotts. It was abandoned in favour of the farm below, which was the childhood home of Sir Walter Scott the famous author.
Official Historic Scotland page
Become a supporter of my work to access a more detailed history