Overview of Redhouse Castle

A ruined but impressive tower-house with a rectangular courtyard, Redhouse Castle occupies a prominent position beside the B1377 road in East Lothian, 1¼ miles (2 km) east northeast of Longniddry. Aberlady lies 2 miles (3 km) to the north. Dating from the late-16th century, Redhouse comprises four storeys over vaulted cellars. The doorway, which gives access to a turnpike stair, has an ornately carved pediment which bears the initials of John Laing, Keeper of the Signet, together with those of his wife, Rebecca Dennistoun, along with the inscription Nisi Dominus Frustra. The castle was extended in the early 17th century, with the addition of a large tower to the northwest. A lectern doo-cot, which occupies the southeast corner of the courtyard, dates from the same period. The courtyard in enclosed by a barmkin wall and entered through a south-facing archway.

Once a property of the Douglas family, the present castle was the work of the Laings. It soon passed, through marriage, to the Hamiltons, who first extended it but were later to lose it, forfeited because of their part in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. Unused, it fell into decay. Redhouse is now part of the Gosford Estate of the Earl of Wemyss and March. Gosford House is located a mile (1.5 km) to the northwest.