Bavelaw Castle is a
historic house
A historic house generally meets several criteria before being listed by an official body as "historic." Generally the building is at least a certain age, depending on the rules for the individual list. A second factor is that the building be in ...
in the
City of Edinburgh Council area,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. It is north of Hare Hill in 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 ...
, four miles west of
Penicuik
Penicuik ( ; sco, Penicuik; gd, Peighinn na Cuthaig) is a town and former Police burgh, burgh in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River Esk, Lothian, River North Esk. It lies on the A701 road, A701 midway between Edinburgh a ...
, and two miles south 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 ...
, above
Threipmuir Reservoir. It was designated as a
Category A listed
This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland, which are among the listed buildings of the United Kingdom.
For a fuller list, see the pages linked on List of listed buildings in Scotland.
Key
The organization of the lists in th ...
building in 1971.
History
An early structure on the site was owned by the Braids, then by the Fairlies, but passed to the
Forresters of Niddry by marriage. From them, it went to the Mowbrays of
Barnbougle in the 16th century. Before Easter and Wester Bavelaw were granted by King
James VI
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
to Laurence Scott of
Harperrig in 1628, a 16th-century
L-plan tower house had been built by Walter Dundas. Both
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...
, and James VI both stayed at Bavelaw, reputedly using it as a hunting lodge.
Scott enlarged the tower house after his acquisition, possibly adding a small wing at the south-east angle. Bavelaw fell into a ruinous state, but was restored and extended in 1900 by
Sir Robert Lorimer
Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer, KBE (4 November 1864 – 13 September 1929) was a prolific Scottish architect and furniture designer noted for his sensitive restorations of historic houses and castles, for new work in Scots Baronial and Gothi ...
, linking the outbuildings to the main building, adding bigger windows and a turret to make the attic larger, and converting the basement.
The building was further altered in 1938 by the architectural firm
Dick Peddie & McKay.
[
]
Description
The harled
Harling is a rough-cast wall finish consisting of lime and aggregate, known for its rough texture. Many castles and other buildings in Scotland and Ulster have walls finished with harling. It is also used on contemporary buildings, where it pr ...
rubble walls of the tower are three storeys tall, not including the attic. A circular tower extends from the north-eastern corner of the main block and a small one-storey wing of a later date projects from the south-east. The ground-floor rooms of the tower are vaulted and that of the northern chamber is lower than the other one, which may indicate the nucleus of the original structure. The difference in height is repeated on the floors above and the northern first-floor chamber known as Queen Mary's Room.[
]
See also
*List of castles in Scotland
This is a list of castles in Scotland. A castle is a type of fortified structure built primarily during the Middle Ages. Scholars debate the scope of the word "castle", but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord o ...
References
External links
Gazetteer for Scotland entry on Bavelaw CastleDictionary of Scottish Architects entry for Bavelaw Castle, and RCAHMS archive material
{{coord, 55.8497, N, 3.3305, W, type:landmark, display=title
Castles in Edinburgh
Category A listed buildings in Edinburgh
Listed castles in Scotland