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Preston Tower is a late medieval tower house located in East Lothian, Scotland, dating to the fifteenth or sixteenth century. The structure represents a defensive residence typical of the period, built to provide both domestic accommodation and protection for its occupants against the lawlessness prevalent in the Scottish Borders and Lothian regions during this era. The associated dovecot, a characteristic feature of substantial medieval and early modern estates, would have served the practical purpose of providing fresh meat and manure whilst also demonstrating the status and self-sufficiency of the tower's inhabitants. The monument survives as an important example of the vernacular fortified architecture that characterised rural East Lothian during the late medieval period.
Preston Tower and Dovecot is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM774. View the official record →
Preston Tower is a late medieval tower house located in East Lothian, Scotland, dating to the fifteenth or sixteenth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM774.
Preston Tower and Dovecot 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 SM774.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Oxenfoord Mains,enclosure 400m NE of (6.6 km), Easter Cowden, enclosures (7.2 km), Fordel Mains,fort 350m SW of (7.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Preston Tower and Dovecot'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.
Preston Tower and Dovecot stands on Clackmannan Group, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is sedimentary rock cycles, clackmannan group type.