What is recorded here

Kilspindie Castle rose from the tidal marshes of Aberlady Bay as a drowned fortress, its moat filling with seawater and its walls holding the breath of the sea. The Douglas family took the land after a brutal sword stroke, and the castle survived the Rough Wooing only to be rebuilt as a tower before being stripped for stone in the eighteenth century. Today, scattered fragments and a heavy door hidden elsewhere remind us that the castle did not vanish; it scattered into the fields, roads and walls of the living town.

Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Kilspindie Castle as Castle (medieval). The official map says its point is accurate as follows: NGR given to the nearest 10m. The record does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.

Kilspindie Castle was built in the 16th century by the Spens or Spence family, a prominent Lowland Scottish lineage. It is remembered as a historic family seat and as an example of early Renaissance architecture in Scotland.

The historic-place record does not grant public access. Check current conditions and ownership before entering land or a building.