Cramond Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cramond Tower |
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| Edinburgh, Scotland | |
Cramond Tower
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 Cramond Tower
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| Coordinates | 55°58′42″N 3°17′51″W / 55.9782368°N 3.2976298°W |
| Site history | |
| Built | 15th century |
Cramond Tower is an old stone building called a tower house. It was built a long time ago, in the 1400s. You can find it in the village of Cramond, which is near Edinburgh, Scotland.
Contents
Cramond Tower: A Historic Scottish Building
A Look Back: History of the Tower
From Roman Times to a Bishop's Home
The area around Cramond Tower has been settled by people for a very long time. Even the Romans lived here! You can still find old items from their time in the area.
The Tower itself was likely built in the late 1400s or early 1500s. Its main purpose was to be a strong place for defense. It might have even been mentioned in records as early as 1409. For a while, it was used as a summer home for a bishop from Dunkeld.
New Owners and Abandonment
In 1622, a merchant from Edinburgh named James Inglis bought the Tower. He made some changes to make it more comfortable to live in. He added bigger windows and made special spaces inside the walls.
However, James Inglis's grandson moved to a bigger house nearby, called Cramond House, in 1680. After that, Cramond Tower was left empty for about 300 years. It slowly became a ruin.
Restoration and Modern Use
By the mid-1900s, the Tower was in very poor condition. In the 1960s, the City of Edinburgh Council helped by putting a concrete roof on it. They also cleared away all the plants growing on it.
In 1978, a person named Eric Jamieson, who loved old things, bought the Tower. From 1979 to 1981, architects worked to fix it up. They turned it into a private home. In 2011, the Tower was damaged by a fire.
Inside Cramond Tower: What it Looks Like
Tower Design and Features
Cramond Tower is almost square, measuring about 25 feet (7.6 meters) on each side. Its walls are very thick, up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) in some places! This made it very strong for defense.
In one corner, there's a round staircase that sticks out from the building. This staircase connects the different floors.
Inside the Tower Today
Today, Cramond Tower has four floors. The ground floor is used for storage. The first floor has a living room, and the second floor has a kitchen. The third and fourth floors have bedrooms and bathrooms.
During its restoration, a sloped roof was put back on the Tower. In the 1990s, a new stone part was added to the east side of the building. Cramond Tower is considered a "category B listed building", which means it's an important historic building that needs to be protected.
