Preston Tower

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Preston Tower

Preston Tower is a tower house in the Scottish city ​​of Prestonpans in the East Lothian council area . It is listed as a Scheduled Monument . A former inclusion in the Scottish List of Monuments in the highest category A was revoked in 2015.

history

Tower House was built in the mid-15th century as the seat of the Preston Line of Clan Hamilton . In the course of Rough Wooing under Henry VIII , the Tower House was burned down by Edward Seymour . In the meantime restored, Preston Tower was again burned down by Cromwell's troops during the wars of the Three Kingdoms . Once again restored, an accident in 1663 led to another fire, as a result of which the building was abandoned. Already in 1628 the Hamiltons with the construction of the nearby had manor Hamilton House started. With the Covenanter Robert Hamilton died in 1701 the last member of the Preston line.

description

The four-story Preston Tower is located south of Prestonpans. It has an L-shaped floor plan. The masonry consists of rubble from the red sandstone and is up to two meters thick. On the 20.4 m high tower with crenellated reinforcement and circumferential battlements sits a two-story extension 6.4 m in height from 1626. This is designed in the Renaissance style. The entrance area is located in a semicircular protruding tower in the inner corner of the building. The ceiling on the ground floor is designed as a barrel vault ; in the higher hall with a half-vault.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Scheduled Monument - entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ a b c Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  3. ↑ Entry on Preston Tower  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)

Web links

Commons : Preston Tower  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 55 ° 57 ′ 20.5 "  N , 2 ° 58 ′ 41.3"  W.