Another of my recent purchases.

From Canmore;

Archaeology Notes

NT27NW 1.00 20294 76097

 

NT27NW 1.01 203 761 well

NT27NW 1.02 20291 76070 Sundial

 

(NT 2030 7609) Lauriston Castle (NR)

OS 6" map, (1966)

 

The mansion of Lauriston Castle is a large, mainly modern structure which has grown round the late 16th century tower which forms the SW angle. This tower, which is oblong, 40' x 24', has a central projecting tower on the N, containing a stair. It is now the property of Edinburgh Town Council, and open to the public as a period museum.

D MacGibbon and T Ross 1887-92; RCAHMS 1929, visited 1920; N Tranter 1962-70.

 

No change to previous information.

Visited by OS (B S) 26 November 1975.

 

NT 203 759 Four transects were made across the parkland of Lauriston Castle at right-angles to Cramond Road South in order to attempt to establish whether any trace of a road could be found along the projected line of the N section of Cramond Road South. Transects 1 and 2 were respectively 121m and 75m N from the Lodge gateway, and Transects 3 and 4 were 28m and 63m S. In all except Transect 4 high-resistance areas were found along the projected line, and in Transect 2 a section derived from a linear array measurement showed a plausible cross-section. Other high-resistance areas suggested dumping and levelling of the parkland and the lack of any similar high resistance in Transect 4 suggests robbing out.

Sponsors: Edinburgh Archaeological Field Society, University of Edinburgh - Dept of Geology and Geophysics.

H M D Jones 2000

 

NT 2030 7585 Within the grounds of Lauriston Castle and a little to the N of the gatehouse, ground clearance for the creation of a picnic area revealed an irregular line of stone. Upon cleaning, pottery including late and post-medieval material was found, though the stone line was found to be an outcrop of bedrock.

Sponsors: City of Edinburgh Council Archaeology Service, Edinburgh Archaeological Field Society.

V E Dean 2001

 

NT 203 759 A fifth transect was made on the S edge of the Lauriston Castle grounds to complete the study previously reported (DES 2000, 35). The area surveyed extended 14m into the park from the S wall and was 22m long across the projected line of Cramond Road South. No high-resistance readings were logged that could indicate crossing the line of a road. The southern area of the parkland was added late to the estate and was for many years under cultivation; robbing out is possible. A full report covering all transects is in preparation.

Sponsors: Historic Scotland, Edinburgh Archaeological Field Society, City of Edinburgh Council Archaeology Service.

H M D Jones 2001

 

NT 2015 7608 The site for the new Japanese Garden at Lauriston Castle lies immediately to the W of the 16th-century tower house, within the designed gardens surrounding the house. Due to its close proximity to the tower house and the possibility that it may overly the route of the Roman road leading from the nearby fort at Cramond, an archaeological evaluation was undertaken.

Eleven trenches were machine-excavated, sampling c 10% of the area. These were targeted based upon the results of the earlier geophysical survey, which suggested the location of several large areas of demolition material, a possible circular ditched enclosure or garden features, and shallow paths or walls and drains relating to the post-medieval use of the site as a garden.

The results of the evaluation demonstrated that the possible ditched enclosure was natural in origin, representing a change in the underlying natural clays. Only two significant archaeological features were discovered: a small late/post-medieval pit and the foundations of a clay-bonded late medieval wall. The wall probably represents the western boundary wall for the estate surrounding the original 16th-century tower house.

Sponsor: City of Edinburgh Council.

J A Lawson 2001

 

A geophysical survey was carried out on ground next to the Lauriston Castle estate by Edinburgh Archaeological Field Society. The land, known as Farl O' Cakes Field, was subject to a geophysical survey. Often considered to be the site of a Roman burial ground, a number of anomalies were found but could not be clearly identified.

H M D Jones, 2006

Thanks for all the info on the Scottish sites Gordon. What would we do without you?

From M Coventry, Castle of Scotland 3rd ed;

 

Lauriston Castle is a much altered 16thc tower house of three storeys and an attic, to which was added a two storey Jacobean extension, designed by William Burn in 1824-7. The tower has a round stair turret and two large pepperpot bartizans crown the one side.

The basement of the old part is vaulted. The first floor hall has a hidden stair leading to a spy hole.

The castle was built by the Napiers of Merchiston. One of the family , John Napier was the inventor of Logarithms. In 1656 the property was sold to Charles II's solicitor, Robert Dalgliesh, and in 1683 to the Law family. In 1827 it passed to the Allans, and then later to the Rutherfords, the Crawfords of Cartsburn, then the Reids, who were the last owners, and gave it to the City of Edinburgh. The castle has a fine Edwardian period interior, housing good collections of Italian furniture., Blue John Grossley wool mosaics, Sheffild plate, mezzotint prints, Caucasian carpets, and items of decorative art.

The ghostly sound of feet have reportedly been heard in the castle.

Opening hours etc

An old engraving

Any one for Croquet?

From MacGibbon & Ross

 

 

 

We visited this castle while on holiday, earlier this month. The grounds are open to the public.

 

An old postcard of Lauriston Castle, recently added to my collection.