Inside a 500-Year-Old Castle With Sea Views and Secrets

Today, we found ourselves not just anywhere, but inside a real Scottish castle — originally built as a 16th-century tower house, later expanded in the 1800s, and still peacefully overlooking the Firth of Forth in Edinburgh.

NOSTALGIA

18 May 2025 — 4 min read

Lauriston Castle, with its grand interiors and beautiful grounds, sits tucked away in the northwest corner of the city. Tourists rarely make it this far.

Interior of Lauriston Castle in Edinburgh, showing symmetrical features

But just a short bus ride from the centre takes you to woodland walks, a peaceful Japanese garden, and the chance to step back in time with a guided tour of what life was like in an early 20th-century middle-class Edinburgh home.

Not everyone realises it’s there.

In our latest film, we step inside Lauriston Castle to explore its remarkable features, eccentric details, and the story of the castle’s last private owners — who were quite the characters.

12 Things You Didn’t Know About Lauriston Castle

Edinburgh’s Lauriston Castle is not a ruin or a grand tourist trap. It’s something better — a perfectly preserved time capsule filled with unique finds, personal stories, and some surprisingly modern comforts (hello, working Edwardian radiator).

Here are 12 little-known things about Lauriston Castle that make it well worth a visit:

1. The Mermaid Welcomes You

Above the front door, there’s a stone carving of a mermaid brushing her hair in the wind. She’s not just decorative — she’s part of the coat of arms of Andrew Rutherfurd, who bought the castle in 1842 and helped reshape it into what we see today.

Stone mermaid carving at Lauriston Castle entrance

2. It Was Built in Three Acts

Lauriston Castle grew in three main stages: a 1590s tower house, an 1820s addition by a newspaper-owning banker, and an 1870s library wing. Together, they form a space that feels like walking through time.

Lauriston Castle on a quiet spring morning

3. You Can Still See the Join

There’s a narrow corridor inside where the old tower and the new house meet. One curved stone wall used to be an exterior — now it forms the passageway, lit softly by a single small window.

A curved stone wall inside Lauriston Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland

4. The Reids Lived Here — And Left Everything

William and Margaret Reid bought the house in 1902 and filled it with antiques, art, and elaborate decor. When Margaret died in 1926, she left everything to the nation — for “the education of public taste in all time coming.”

Inside a Girly Emporium Duplex Flat in Glasgow

The star of our new film prefers nights out to cooking at home, often turns her flat into a wild dance floor, knows how to be thrifty but is generous in helping others feel confident — and isn’t afraid to go over the top, especially with two floors to play with.

Inside London’s Most Eccentric Home: Tour Sue Kreitzman’s Maximalist Flat

This summer, we made friends with an artist who — against all her mum’s hopes — never outgrew the bright red, screaming pink, and chick-yellow she adored as a kid. Visiting her and her surreal home was pure joy. We hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did.

Inside a One-Bedroom Glasgow Flat Where Being 50 Feels Like 25

Lisa and Donnie are both in their 50s, but their home feels light, ageless, and full of warmth. It’s a flat that proves small doesn’t mean temporary — and that you don’t need a second bedroom when the main room does everything.

Karen Bones holding a miniature model of a building in a dimly lit room

Inside the Tiny Shed of a DIY Miniature Maker in Scotland

Karen Bones doesn’t just recreate buildings — she rebuilds memory, character, and a bit of grit, brick by brick. From Glasgow pubs to the cottages of Culross, her miniatures are full of love, imperfection, and life.