Scottish castles are some of the world’s most beautiful buildings. Often known for their high ceilings and cavernous rooms, castles are many things (charming, historic, striking) but ‘cosy’ isn’t usually one of them. Enter Fa’side Castle: a neatly formed little stone castle with rich historical elements, thick lime walls and picture-perfect turrets. The 7,411 square-foot castle is currently on sale with Savills for £1,450,000.
Set amongst rolling farmland in Tranent, East Lothian, the castle has panoramic views of Firth of Forth and Lammermuir Hills. Despite the remote, rural feel of its location, it’s only two miles from the A1 leading directly to Edinburgh or towards Berwick-upon-Tweed.
The house itself is accessed through double gates, leading into its grounds. A well-kept lawn within the inner bailey wall includes a spacious gravel parking area to the east. The internal courtyard is enclosed by walls on two sides and features a beech hedge and surrounding woodland for plenty of privacy. On the south side of the castle, a 17th-century barn was converted into two cottages in 1996, one of which is connected to a garage, workshop, and a snooker room located above.
The main entrance, a vaulted doorway, opens into a ‘laigh hall’ (or lower hall) featuring a flagstone floor and beamed ceiling that leads to the modernised utility room, a bathroom, kitchen and dining area, as well as a doorway onto the garden.
A solid cast stone staircase leads to the first floor, where a hallway leads to a drawing room with triple-aspect views. At the top of the 14th-century tower is the current owners’ B&B accommodation, which is a nice business opportunity for residents. Two barrel-vaulted bedrooms lead to a steep spiral staircase, past a glass walkway over the old dungeon and eventually leads to a rooftop terrace with sweeping views over the Firth of Forth.
This staircase also leads to the Great Hall, a classic feature of castles from this period. The room includes an original stone fireplace with a log-burning stove, stone window seats built into the thick walls, and an intricately painted ceiling. Exposed corbels from a fire before the Battle of Pinkie are also visible, plus remnants of an old (now inaccessible) staircase. Behind a tartan curtain lies the original stone bathroom, known as the ‘Laird’s Lug’. From here, the stairs descend to a library, complete with fitted bookshelves and another stone fireplace.