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Orchardton Tower is a late medieval circular tower house located in Kirkcudbrightshire, south-western Scotland. Built in the 15th century, it is a rare example of a round tower house plan, distinguished from the more common rectangular tower houses of the period. The tower stands approximately four storeys in height and originally served as a fortified domestic residence for a local landowner. Its circular design, which offers structural advantages for defence whilst reducing internal dead space at angles, represents a distinctive regional variation in Scottish tower house architecture during the late medieval period.
Orchardton Tower is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90233. View the official record →
Orchardton Tower is a late medieval circular tower house located in Kirkcudbrightshire, south-western Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90233.
Orchardton Tower is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM90233.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Nethertown Cottages, fort 450m ESE of (1.5 km), Mote of Mark,fort,Rockcliffe (3 km), Moyle Hill, enclosure (4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Orchardton Tower's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Orchardton Tower stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Late Silurian To Early Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is felsic-rock.