Craigmillar Castle Edinburgh building photos, History, Location, Historic Scottish structure

Craigmillar Castle Architecture

Historic Building in Edinburgh, Scotland: Scottish L-plan tower house – Date & Images

post updated 16 February 2025

Location: Craigmillar Castle Road, 3m south-east of Edinburgh off the A68

Craigmillar Castle image by Adrian Welch

Please check with owners for details such as access & charge

post updated 16 December 2023 ; 21 December 2022

Craigmillar Castle Edinburgh Tower House

Built round an L-plan tower house from early 15th century, much expanded in the 15th & 16th centuries. Queen Mary used it so often that the hamlet to the west which housed her French attendants came to be known as Little France.

At the core of Craigmillar Castle is the 14th-century L-plan tower house, built on a rocky outcrop. Wrapped around this is the 15th-century courtyard wall, with ranges of buildings at the south-east, east, and west.

Beyond the wall is a lower outer wall, enclosing a broad outer courtyard. This contained gardens and a chapel. Further gardens lay to the south, where the outline of a fish pond can be seen.

This historic tower building is built on the edge of a rock outcrop, with the original entrance door protected by a natural cleft in the rock. This would have been spanned by a wooden bridge, until it was filled in when the curtain wall was built. Above the door are the arms of the Preston family.

Craigmillar Castle: images by Adrian Welch