Lauriston Castle
Sixteenth-century tower house with Edwardian interiors and Japanese garden, set in free gardens above the Firth of Forth and visited by guided tour.
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Over het museum
Lauriston Castle is a tower house rebuilt around 1590 by Sir Archibald Napier of Merchiston after an earlier castle on the site was almost destroyed in the English raids of 1544. In 1827 the owner Thomas Allan commissioned the architect William Burn to add a Jacobean range, turning the tower into a comfortable country house. The building is listed Category A, and the grounds are included in the national inventory of designed landscapes.
The Edwardian character of the interiors comes from William Robert Reid and his wife Margaret, who bought the castle in 1902 and filled it with fine furniture, ceramics and other collections. When Mrs Reid died in 1926 she left the house to the Scottish nation on condition that it should be kept unchanged, and the City of Edinburgh Council has run it since then. In 2026 the castle celebrates the centenary of the bequest.
Today the castle can be visited on guided tours that show the rooms as the Reids left them, while the gardens, with views across the Firth of Forth and a Japanese garden opened in 2002 as the Edinburgh–Kyoto Friendship Garden, are free to enter. A programme of talks, workshops and family events runs throughout the year.
Hoogtepunten
- Sixteenth-century tower house with Victorian extensions
- Edwardian interiors left to the nation by Mr and Mrs Reid in 1926
- Collections of fine furniture and ceramics
- Japanese garden (Edinburgh–Kyoto Friendship Garden)
- Free gardens with views across the Firth of Forth
Vaste collectie
- Edwardian interiors and the Reid collections – The rooms of the castle with the furniture, ceramics and personal belongings of its last owners, shown on guided tours.
- Lauriston Castle Gardens – Free gardens with views over the Firth of Forth, including a Japanese garden.
- Opgericht
- 1926
- Beheerder
- Culture Edinburgh (City of Edinburgh Council)
Toegangsprijzen & kortingen
| Volwassenen | £ 10 |
|---|---|
| Met korting | £ 8Seniors, students, children under 16 and disabled visitors |
| Kinderen & jongeren | £ 8Concession price for children under 16. |
| Senioren | £ 8 |
| Mensen met een beperking | £ 8begeleider gratis · Concessions are available for disabled visitors, and complimentary tickets are available for essential companions. |
| Studenten | £ 8 |
| Groepen | –Guided tours for parties of 15 can be booked outside normal hours for a fee. |
| Gezinnen | £ 27Family ticket for 2 adults and up to 3 children; a ticket for 1 adult and up to 3 children costs £17. |
| Family ticket, 1 adult and up to 3 children | £ 17 |
| Family ticket, 2 adults and up to 3 children | £ 27 |
The price is for the guided castle tour; the gardens are free to enter all year round. Booking online adds fees (the online listing quotes tickets from £12 including fees). Families from Ukraine and their Scottish host families enter free by arrangement.
Toegankelijkheid
- Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
- Lift: niet aanwezig
- Aangepast toilet
- Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
- Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
- Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
- Rondleidingen in gebarentaal
- Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
- Audiodescriptie: geen informatie
The main entrance of the castle has 4 steps and there is no lift and no ramp because of the historic building; the first floor and the library mezzanine can only be reached by stairs. The gardens, the outdoor accessible toilets and the dining table are reached at level. Some rooms have low lighting, and large print display information can be requested before a visit. Blue Badge holders may park in front of the castle. A BSL video tour of the castle is available online.
Kinderen & gezin
Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen
| Gezinsticket | £ 27 · Family ticket for 2 adults and up to 3 children; a ticket for 1 adult and up to 3 children costs £17. |
|---|
- Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
Family workshops and special family events are held throughout the year, and family tickets for the castle tour are available. The gardens are free and dog-friendly.
Bereikbaarheid & parkeren
Met het openbaar vervoer
Silverknowes terminus (buses 16, 27, 29, 37) · 10 min. lopen
Bus 47 runs to Davidson’s Mains and buses 16, 27, 29 and 37 run to the Silverknowes terminus; both are about 10 minutes’ walk from the castle. The 29 and 37 pass along Princes Street near Waverley station and the 47 leaves from Lothian Road near Haymarket station. The nearest railway station is Edinburgh Haymarket, but Waverley is more convenient for the buses.
Met de auto
Parkeerplaats aanwezig
Parking on site is limited, so visitors are asked to be considerate of neighbours. Blue Badge holders can park in front of the castle.
- Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
The castle lies on Cramond Road South between Davidson’s Mains and Cramond. Cycle racks are in the grounds, and the North Edinburgh Cycle Network crosses Cramond Road South. A taxi from the city centre takes about 25 minutes.
Route plannenService & horeca
- Café
- Restaurant: niet aanwezig
Mimi’s Little Bakehouse is a mainly takeaway café with a few indoor tables, serving a small savoury menu, speciality drinks, cakes and scones (Monday to Friday 09:30–16:30, Saturday and Sunday 09:00–17:00 in the summer season). Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the café and the gardens.
Evenementen & zaalverhuur
Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.
Je bezoek plannen
| Rondleidingen | ja |
|---|---|
| Goed om te weten | The Highlights Tour is the main way to see the castle; themed tours such as Mr and Mrs Reid’s Tour also run on certain dates. A programme of lectures, creative workshops, film screenings and family events takes place throughout the year. |
