Preston Tower is a Scheduled Ancient Monument consisting of a partially ruined Tower House, Doocot and Garden nestling in the heart of the town of Prestonpans, East Lothian. The Tower’s lower storeys are possibly of late 14th century origin while the upper storeys were added in 1626. It was burned, along with the adjacent town of Prestonpans in 1544 during the Rough Wooing and then again in 1650. After being rebuilt, its upper storeys were burned again (by accident), in 1663 and the Tower was finally permanently abandoned.
As a prominent built feature on the Forth, it has been a significant landmark in the area ever since. However, it fell into a derelict state by the late 1800’s when a number of local citizens worked together to consolidate its remaining walls and floors. Saving it for future generations. During the early 20th century, it functioned as the centrepiece of a commercial market garden and in the late 1960s it passed into the ownership of the National Trust for Scotland and is now managed by East Lothian Council. Phased conservation work is currently taking place focused on improving access and encouraging more people to visit in future while contributing to local regeneration.
The project is being supported by the Scottish Government’s Town Centre Fund and progressed by East Lothian Council in collaboration with building owners the National Trust for Scotland and with the support of the Preston, Seton & Gosford Area Partnership, and the National Lottery-funded Great Place Project. The Phase 1 repairs to the Doocot, garden walls, access paths & interpretation are on site. This includes works to make safe the Doocot roof that was collapsing, retaining as much original fabric as possible by traditionally repairing the masonry stone walls and pigeon nest holes, whilst also recording the existing structure for interpretation purposes. GRAS are also working with the local community to develop an exciting package of Phase 2 works. These will include the conservation repair of the Tower and improve accessibility to the interior and interpretation with works commencing in Spring 2022.
- Project Details
- Project Team
Location
Prestonpans, Scotland
Client
National Trust for Scotland, East Lothian Council
Completed
2024
Type
Cultural
Project Team
Charlie Porter
John Robson
Natasha Huq
Stewart Stirling
Stone Conservation
Graciela Ainsworth Sculpture Conservation
Stone Masonry
Campbell and Smith Construction Group Ltd
Metalworks
Andrew Turner Blacksmiths
Archaeology
CFA Archaeology Ltd
AOC Archaeology
Ecology
TD Tree & Land Services
Environmental Consultants
NBC Environment
Structural Engineers
Narro Associates
M&E Engineers
Max Fordham
Quantity Surveyors
Morham & Brotchie Partnership
Funding
Scottish Government: Town Centre Regeneration Fund
National Lottery: Heritage Fund
Client
National Trust for Scotland
East Lothian Council
Photography
Murray Orr
Shaun Barton
Interpretation
Lyndsey Clark
Artibrand
Studio Winton
Bob Marshall
Piers Dixon
Preston Tower, Doocot and Garden Details
Site plan: walled garden with tower and new accessible path leading to doocot
Preston Tower is a Scheduled Monument consisting of a partially ruined Tower House, Doocot and Garden nestling in the heart of the town of Prestonpans in East Lothian. The Tower’s lower storeys are of 15th century origin whilst the upper storeys were added in the early 17th century.
David MacGibbon and Thomas Ross, The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland from the Twelfth to the Eighteenth Century, Vol. 1 (Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1887), 318.
A set of acupuncture type moves were formed to make sense of the site and open up and improve the flow of the visitor experience, whilst protecting the future of the built fabric and landscape. The works have included repairs to the tower, doocot and garden walls, along with new interventions such as access paths, interpretation, and a new stair which provides public access to the interior of the Tower, which hasn’t been possible for decades.
A combination of approaches was necessary due to the multiple phasing and levels of deterioration of the fabric. Surface repair, support and replacement were all valid responses in order to retain as much original fabric as possible and retain legibility.
Areas in the most eroded lower part of the tower were filled with a mix of stones to match the variety used in this part. However they were introduced set back from the face and in irregularly shaped narrow tiles with traditional hot mixed lime mortar, so that it is clear what is old and what is new.
The sustainability aspect of this project was multi-faceted, from using local, bio-based materials, to ensuring ease of maintenance according to different stakeholders groups, to training up local tradespeople so they can continue to work on the site once the project has finished.
New stair detail
Material Focus
The combination of local stonemasons and specialist stone conservators provided the range of skills required for all the different aspects of the stonework, which required precise detailing and specification. Traditional construction techniques were used and as much of the existing stonework as possible was kept. Appropriate new stone, sourced locally, was chosen for each part of the tower, fitting with the overall aesthetic. These were decorated and carved where necessary to match but are intended to be clearly seen as a new repair.
- An array of pinning stones
- Local sandstone
- Lime mortar
- T-wash treated galvanised metal