Luffness Castle, Medieval castle in East Lothian, Scotland
Luffness Castle is a medieval tower house in East Lothian built with a T-shaped design that rises three stories and includes a square turret at its foundation. A spiral staircase within preserves stonework from the 13th century, revealing the layers of construction from different periods.
The Lindsay family gained control of the castle lands through marriage in the 12th century and built a fortress that Edward I of England seized in 1311. In 1549, French and Scottish forces under orders from Marie de Guise constructed fortifications there to cut off English supply routes during a period of conflict.
French and Scottish soldiers built fortifications at Luffness in 1549 to block English supply lines, under orders from Marie de Guise.
The castle remains in private ownership under the Hope family since 1739, so visitors can only see its exterior from the nearby road. It is best to view the structure from public access points without entering the private grounds.
A 16th-century beehive doocot on the grounds contains 500 nesting boxes for messenger pigeons and still displays three string courses from its original build. This specialized structure shows how crucial pigeons were for communication and food supply during that era.
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