6 Old Ruins to Explore in Midlothian

A majestic historic house in the City of Edinburgh council area, Scotland. Comprising two storeys, an attic and a basement, the original tower was probably the work of the Dundas family, and both Mary, Queen of Scots , and King James VI stayed here. It was now a historic monument and it attracts a lot of tourists.

This is the remnant of a stronghold of the Iron Age, which has commands views over the Forth and Lothian. When it was occupied the site consisted of three earthwork ramparts, ditches and timber palisades. The fort contained a Souterrain for the storage of agricultural produce. An iconic attraction in this area and it attracts a lot of tourists.

Mavisbank House is Category A listed by Historic Scotland. The house was partially destroyed and left in ruin by a fire in 1973. It was designed by the architect William Adam constructed between 1723 and 1727. Unfortuneately the house neglected and the interiors were ruined by fire in 1973 but it is still an interesting sight for visitors to see. Parking is available in Loanhead.

A majestic 16th centiry castle, which was once a substantial L-shaped tower house built by Michael Borthwick of Glengelt. The tower occupied a roughly triangular position, which was naturally defended by deeply worn water-courses. The remaining structure is a scheduled monument, which, provides evidence and has the potential to provide further evidence for the study of the defensive architecture and domestic life of the minor gentry in mid-sixteenth-century Scotland.

Uttershill Castle was built around 1510 as a two storey bastle house on a hill to the south of Penicuik. The castle had two storeys, a vaulted basement, and a hall on the first storey, reached by a straight stair. The castle was built of freestone rubble, and was probably harled. The property belonged to the Prestons of Gorton and Craigmillar. In 1646 the Countess of Eglinton lived here.