Leslie Castle

The surviving plan is that of an L-shaped tower house, a compact defensive dwelling formed by a main block with a projecting wing. The structure rises three storeys with an attic space above and a vaulted cellar below, reflecting the vertical organisation typical of 17th-century Scottish fortified houses. Masonry construction was used throughout, and a stone inscription recording the 1661 date remains associated with the building’s fabric.

A square tower element contains a distinctive internal stair arrangement. The staircase is built around a central column that includes openings into the stairwell and formerly housed lamps; those lamps were designed to be raised and lowered by a chain. The complex originally included defensive entry features, recorded as a drawbridge and a gatehouse associated with the entrance approach.

By the time of the 1972 inspection the interior was filled with rubble, the upper floors had gone and collapsed walling left heaps of stone up to about eight feet high. Large quantities of carved stone had been removed from the ruin and a full-sized tree had taken root within a fallen parapet. During the 1980s rebuilding work, stone reclaimed from nearby three-century-old cottages was incorporated into the repaired walls. After restoration the former kitchen was adapted for use as a breakfast room with its large open fireplace retained, guest rooms occupy the second and third floors, and the owner’s accommodation is located on the uppermost level. Today the restored house serves as a private guesthouse and may be let for exclusive events.