Niddry Castle, Winchburgh, West Lothian Building History, Historic Scottish Structure, Date

Niddry Castle, Scotland

Winchburgh Architecture, Scotland: Historic Scottish Building in West Lothian

Location: Niddry-Seton, south-east of Winchburgh, West Lothian

An early 16th century, four storey L-plan tower.

Niddry Castle in Winchburgh

This historic West Lothian building belonged to George, 3rd Lord of Seton then John Hope of Hopetoun.

Niddry Castle West Lothian

It was abandoned around 1726. The structure was restored to its original height in the eighties and is now re-occupied as a private residence.

Niddry Castle is a fourteenth-century tower house near Winchburgh, West Lothian, Scotland. It is situated near the Union Canal, and between two large oil shale “bings”, or waste heaps.

The tower was built around 1500 by the Lord Seton. Mary, Queen of Scots stayed here 2 May 1568, after her escape from captivity in Loch Leven Castle. George, Lord Seton garrisoned the castle in support of Queen Mary in 1572 during the civil war in Scotland.

According to the chronicle, the Historie of James the Sext, it was twice attacked in that year. In the first attack, the Captain with forewarning repelled a night attack. He suspended heavy timber beams around the tower and released them on a party climbing scaling ladders. The garrison of Edinburgh Castle supported Niddry by attacking Merchiston Castle, which was held for James VI, as a diversion.
source: wikipedia

By the early 17th century, two more storeys had sprouted through the roof in polished ashlar. After centuries of ruin, birdlime and houlets, it has been re-roofed at the 15th-century level, and reoccupied under a scheme by William A Cadell.

The scale of the turnpike stair and of the huge hall (with its chapel), kitchen and adjoining wing, takes you aback. From the hall floor (now a museum), there were two storeys below, and probably four above. Niddry was an enormous, vertically planned mansion of which all we can enjoy today is the plinth. The whole ensemble awaits reinstatement of the upper balustrade, harling and, if permitted, the enclosing walls at ground level (colour page).
source: https://canmore.org.uk/site/49263/niddry-castle – ref. “West Lothian: An Illustrated Architectural Guide”, by Stuart Eydmann, Richard Jaques and Charles McKean, 2008. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk

Location: Winchburgh, West Lothian, central Scotland, UK