
What is recorded here
Cairns Castle is a ruined fifteenth-century tower house on the northern slope of the Pentland Hills, beside Harperrig Reservoir in West Lothian. The Crichtons inherited it through the marriage of the castle's heiress, granddaughter of William de Carnys. Its vaulted basement, ground-floor kitchen and upper hall were reached by a corner turnpike stair, while the eastern entrance tower has vanished. The kitchen fireplace was later cut into an entrance, and the remaining stone still stands as a Scheduled Monument.
Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Cairns Castle as Tower House (medieval). The official map says its point is accurate as follows: NGR given to the nearest 1m. The record does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.
Cairns Castle is a medieval tower house located in Scotland, built during the late 15th or early 16th century, likely by a local landholding family. It is remembered as an example of the defensive and domestic architecture typical of the Scottish Borders during the medieval period.
The historic-place record does not grant public access. Check current conditions and ownership before entering land or a building.
Places near here
Cairns Castle BridgeRoad Bridge (period Unassigned) · 86 yd
Harperrig ReservoirBridge (period Unassigned), Track (period Unassigned) · 536 yd
West CairnsKnife (period Unassigned) · 665 yd
Baad Park BurnEnclosure (period Unassigned) · 1.1 mi
Linn JawWaterfall · 2.3 mi
Patterns in the heather, Mid HillMountain or hill · 2.6 mi
Sandstone outcrops, Mid HillMountain or hill · 2.6 mi
Murieston CastleCastle (medieval), Tower (16th Century) · 3.1 mi
Wether LawMountain / peak · 3.2 mi
CraigengarMountain / peak · 3.3 mi
Hermand Beech WoodForest · 3.7 mi
Hermand BirchwoodNature reserve · 3.8 miOther information
Photo: Richard Webb · CC BY-SA 2.0