Cairns Castle is a ruined

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

, dating from the 15th century. It is located on the northern slope of the

Pentland Hills The Pentland Hills are a range of hills southwest of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around in length, and runs southwest from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale. Etymology The name is first recorded for the farm of Pentla ...

, around south west of

Balerno Balerno (; gd, Baile Àirneach, IPA: �paleˈɛːɾʲnəx Scots: Balerno or Balernie) is a village on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland situated south-west of the city centre, next to Currie and then Juniper Green. Traditionally in the cou ...

, at the south west end of

Harperrig Reservoir Harperrig Reservoir is a reservoir in West Lothian, Scotland, to the north of the Pentland Hills, south of Mid Calder. The Water of Leith flows through it, and nearby are Harlaw Reservoir and Threipmuir Reservoir. It has been proposed that th ...

, in

West Lothian West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

.Coventry Martin (1997) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Goblinshead. p97 It may have also been known as Easter Cairns Castle, but this may refer to another castle in the area.

History

The Crichtons inherited the castle through marriage of the heiress of the castle who was the granddaughter of William de Carnys the original owner.

Structure

The castle has an adjoining wing. It has a vaulted basement, a kitchen on the ground floor, and a hall above. All floors were reached by a

turnpike stair Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...

in the corner between the main block and the wing. There were at least three storeys. The kitchen fireplace was converted into an entrance. The entrance tower to the east no longer exists. It has been a

Scheduled Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

since 30 November 1981. It was a category B listed building until it was de-listed in 2015.

References

{{Castles in West Lothian Castles in West Lothian Ruins in West Lothian Scheduled Ancient Monuments in West Lothian