A tall seventeenth-century house brings a turnpike stair and dated marriage lintel directly to Kirkliston High Street.
Quick facts
- Date
- Dated 1682; restored 1983
- Architect / designer
- Designer not recorded
- Type
- Three-storey seventeenth-century house with a projecting stair tower
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB27499)
- OS grid reference
- NT 12559 74330
Architecture and continuing use
The three-storey rectangular house has a semicircular stair tower projecting from its north front. Rendered and painted street elevations contrast with rubble on the other sides. Raised stone margins frame regular windows, while a broad entrance on the tower bears a moulded surround, dated marriage lintel and escutcheon.
Its story
Castle House was built in 1682 for John Findland and Janet Dick, whose initials appear on the marriage lintel. Its stair tower organised movement through a vertically planned house at the centre of the village. The building was restored in 1983, retaining the seventeenth-century form while renewing domestic fabric.
Why it is included
The house is a strong, datable survivor of pre-Georgian Kirkliston and shows how status, marriage and domestic planning were expressed on the High Street.
What to notice
- The rounded turnpike-stair tower at the centre of the north front.
- The lintel inscribed with the date 1682 and the couple’s initials.
- Windows tucked immediately beneath the eaves of the tall three-storey block.
Reading the surroundings
Treat the house as private residential property. View from public pavements without blocking doors or photographing through windows.
Timeline
- 1682 Castle House was built and its marriage lintel recorded John Findland and Janet Dick.
- 1983 A restoration renewed the building while retaining its stair-tower form.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The designation establishes the date and 1983 restoration but does not supply a full chronology of later occupants or internal changes.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Castle House, Kirkliston, LB27499 — Current designation status, statutory identity, official mapped point, date, fabric and significance.
- Trove: Castle House, Kirkliston — National heritage inventory evidence and mapped context for Castle House.
- Kirkliston Gala: village heritage trail — Community heritage interpretation connecting named buildings with the village’s social, religious and working history.
- City of Edinburgh Council: Kirkliston Conservation Area — Local-authority confirmation of the conservation-area boundary and the village’s recognised historic character.
Location
OS grid reference NT 12559 74330 · Location confidence: High for the current HES designation point; public text separately qualifies access, component identity and current use. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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