Redhouse Castle

Redhouse Castle is a late 16th century tower which had an extension added in the 17th century to make it L-shaped. It is now roofless and in ruins.

Redhouse Castle is an impressive and imposing ruin, rising to four storeys above a vaulted basement level. It is believed to have initially consisted of a tall rectangular tower, probably built in the very late 16th century by John Laing, the Keeper of the Signet.

Originally it consisted of a five storey tower house, which now forms the south range of the castle. On the ground floor there is a large vaulted kitchen to the west, with the doorway to the east giving access to a spiral staircase.

Laing had his arms carved on the pediment over the door, along with the initials MIL and RD for himself (Master John Laing, John being spelt Ioannes in Latin) and for his wife Rebecca Dennistoun. On the door lintel itself is the motto "Nisi Dominus Frustra" (without God, all is in vain).

Above the kitchen on the first floor was the main hall, and the floors above that would have divided into various living accommodation.

The tower house was at the north-west corner of a an enclosed courtyard, with an arched gateway in the centre of the south wall.

The Laings seem to have owned Redhouse since the fifteenth century, when another John Laing, who was Bishop of Glasgow from 1474, and Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1482, until his death in 1483, is described as being from the family of Laing of Redhouse in Aberlady parish.

I have seen references to the property being owned by the Douglas family at some point, although it isn't clear when this was exactly. One reference refers to Redhouse having been owned by Archibald Douglas, the 5th Earl of Douglas, until 1421, while another states that the Douglas family took possession of it in 1655.

The later John Laing died in 1614 and his tomb can be seen in Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh. The castle passed into the Hamilton family through the marriage of his daughter, Jean Laing, to Sir Andrew Hamilton.

Redhouse Castle is thought to have been extended to the north around this time with the addition of a further range of rooms. By 1640 the castle was owned by a Sir John Hamilton - possibly the brother of Sir Andrew. He is thought to have been responsible for adding a new tower projecting from the north-west corner of the main castle and for building a doocot into the south-east corner of the courtyard wall.

The Hamiltons forfeited Redhouse Castle and its estate in 1746, and it remained empty for several years. It was bought by George Murray, the 6th Lord Elibank, in 1755, but his main residence was a townhouse on the High Street of Edinburgh, so it stayed unoccupied.

After falling into disrepair, it was incorporated into the Earl of Wemyss' Gosford Estate, and its former ornamental gardens are now occupied by a market garden. The castle itself still stands to its original height, and is more or less complete except for floors and a roof.