Midhope Castle Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Midhope Castle
Abercorn, West Lothian, Scotland UK
Front of Midhope Castle
Midhope Castle
Coordinates	55°59′31″N 3°29′15″W / 55.992081°N 3.487405°W / 55.992081; -3.487405
Type	Tower house
Site information
Owner	Hopetoun Estate
Controlled by	Hopetoun Estate
Open to the public	With permission. Exterior only
Condition	Ruined
Site history
Built	16th century
Materials	Stone

Midhope Castle is an old castle from the 1500s in Scotland. It's a special kind of castle called a tower house. You can find it in a small village called Abercorn. This village is part of the Hopetoun estate. Midhope Castle is about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) west of South Queensferry, near Edinburgh. It's considered a very important historical building, known as a Category A listed building.

History of Midhope Castle
Images for kids
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History of Midhope Castle

The castle you see today is a five-story tower house. It has been changed quite a lot over the years.

Early Owners

In the 1400s, the Martin family owned Midhope Castle. Later, in the 1500s, it belonged to Alexander Drummond of Midhope. Alexander was the brother of Robert Drummond of Carnock. Robert was a very important person who managed royal building projects in Scotland.

A stone at the castle has the letters "AD 1582 MB" carved into it. This carving remembers Alexander and his wife, Marjory Bruce. She was the daughter of Robert Bruce from Airth.

Royal Connections

Alexander Drummond worked for the Earl of Huntly. In 1573, Alexander returned some valuable jewels to Regent Morton. He brought them to Holyrood Palace on behalf of the Earl of Huntly. Alexander Drummond was later buried at Airth Old Kirk.

Castle Features

There was once a beautiful painted ceiling inside the tower. It had designs that looked like five-leaf clovers. This might have celebrated the marriage of Sir Robert Drummond, who became the castle's owner in 1619. His family's motto was "ad astra per ardua," which means "to the stars through hard work." Parts of another painted ceiling had gold stars on a blue background.

In 1678, Midhope Castle got a new look. An old entrance tower was removed. The eastern part of the castle was made taller and longer. A new main door was added. A small courtyard, about 114 by 61 feet (35 by 19 m), was also built to the south.

The Dovecot

About 140 metres (150 yd) to the southeast of the castle, there is a large dovecot. A dovecot is a building where pigeons or doves are kept. This one has two rooms and was built in the late 1600s.