Description

The monument is a late medieval tower, built in the 16th century and remodelled as a folly in 1824. The standing remains are two storeys high and include a circular turret set on a corbelled base. The tower measures about 7m NW-SE by 5m transversely. The monument is now surrounded by the buildings of Murieston Castle Farm. It stands 190m above sea level on relatively level ground, 200m NW of the Murieston Water. The monument was originally scheduled in 1951, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present amended entry rectifies this.

The scheduled area is an irregular shape on plan, to include the remains described above and an area around in which evidence for the tower's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. On the SW and SE sides, the scheduled area extends 1m beyond the outer face of the tower's walls. On the NW and NE sides, the scheduled area extends 5m beyond the outer face of the tower's walls. All modern fences and buildings are specifically excluded from the scheduling.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument can significantly enhance understanding of the character and distribution of late medieval towers in West Lothian. Its 1824 restoration also demonstrates how the past could be appreciated, and medieval buildings remodelled and re-used, in the 19th century. The castle retains good field characteristics, surviving to two storeys in height and incorporating a circular turret on a corbelled base, and makes an important contribution to today's landscape. Our understanding of the role and character of late medieval towers and particularly the ways they might be adapted and appreciated in later centuries would be diminished if this monument was lost or damaged.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NT06SE 1.

The West of Scotland Archaeology Service (WoSAS) Sites and Monuments Record reference is WoSASPIN 18001.

References

RCAHMS, 1929 The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Tenth report with inventory of monuments and constructions in the counties of Midlothian and West Lothian, 138-9, no 173. Edinburgh.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland