The site consists of a late 15th century ruinous Tower House and a 17th century Doocot within a walled garden in Prestonpans. It is owned by the National Trust for Scotland but has been managed by East Lothian Council since 1972.  Situated in a coastal area of a former mining town, the area has faced deprivation and a lack of investment over the years.

The project is publicly funded and the brief was developed in collaboration between the building owners, the management organisation and the community. The priority was to bring the structures into a good state of repair, improve public access to both buildings, and provide interpretation of the site in order to enhance the experience for current users, increase awareness of its significance and encourage more people to visit.

A light touch approach was important in order to maintain the character of the site and the proposals were distilled to concise architectural moves in order to make sense of the existing gardens and open up and improve the flow of the visitor experience, whilst protecting the future of the built fabric and landscape. Budget constraints and a conservation approach necessitated a very careful prioritising of works, including minimising maintenance.

The first phase of works comprised repairs to the Doocot and boundary walls and new accessible paths, landscaping, and interpretation. The first phase gave time for the upskilling of the contractor, a detailed understanding of the Tower to be formed and a relationship with the community to be developed.

The second phase comprised various methods of consolidation to the Tower, interpretation works and the installation of a new external stair to provide access to the first-floor interior. Detailed survey work including investigative archaeological surveys and specialist photogrammetry have supported increased understanding and interpretation of the site and informed both technical repair responses and new architectural interventions.

The repair work itself has become part of the archaeological interpretation of the site. New sensitively designed galvanised metalwork has been installed to the external openings, treated to provide a subtle lead coloured finish. The tower has been made watertight with a new mastic asphalt finish on the second floor which forms the roof to the main hall.

From examining the stonework, archaeologists identified where wooden beams were, and where later changes had been made to the original structure. A new modern staircase, which echoes some of the possible historic stairs, has been added to allow access to the historic main entrance. It uses materials to reflect what has been used on the tower including a stone platt with treated galvanised metal structure.

Local involvement was maintained throughout the design process, and a breadth of activities was carried out in order to capture as broad an input as possible.  The collective ambition was that the community would take symbolic ownership of the site, run tours and manage the visitor experience. A Friends Group has now been formed in order to take on this task, with ongoing support from all stakeholders.

This project is one chapter in the site’s history where a stabilised, revived and improved beloved heritage asset has been delivered back to its community, ready to be utilised to positively contribute to the common weal of the entire area.  Rather than a comprehensive refurbishment, it is a collection of small precise interventions which together make a large impact.