Lennox Tower - Izeria

Lennox Tower is a ruinous fifteenth-century tower house at Lymphoy, near the Water of Leith, between Balerno and Currie, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland.

1. History

The tower was built by the Earls of Lennox, who belonged to the Stewart family. It was known as "Lumphoy" or "Lymphoy." Mary, Queen of Scots and Regent Morton visited the castle, while James VI used it as a base for hunting. He dined there on 18 April 1598. It was later acquired by George Heriot, the goldsmith and founder of George Heriot's School. The castle became so ruinous that at one stage it became a rock garden.

1. Description

The structure a rectangular tower containing a narrow spiral staircase. The only part remaining intact is the basement, the entrance of which is in the north-east corner, and the base of a turnpike stair. The north and west walls of the tower are about 8 metres (26 ft) high, while the other two sides are less than 2 metres (6.6 ft). There was a tunnel from the building to Colinton Tower which was accessible until the 19th century. The castle is on a promontory. There is a ditch to the south of this, about two metres deep, where an inner rampart may have been. It is thought that a barmkin once surrounded the site, while other buildings probably stood between the tower and the ditch.

1. Tradition

The tower is said to be haunted by a white lady. The tradition is that she is the daughter-in-law of the family at Lymphoy House. After her husband died in battle she turned to his family, who had never approved of her, for help. When they rejected her she, and her child, died in the snow. A white lady has been seen gliding around the area several times since.

1. Related websites

Photograph of Lennox Tower

1. References

Nearby Places View Menu

Balerno railway station

Balerno railway station was opened in 1874 and served the area of the village of Balerno that now forms part of the city of Edinburgh. Although primarily built as a goods line, with a dedicated goods station at Balerno, serving the many mills on the Water of Leith, a passenger service was provided by the Caledonian Railway using the Balerno Loop and after grouping by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, seeing formal closure to passenger traffic shortly after nationalisation. The station was the only one with a separately served goods station on the 'loop' line and lay in rural surroundings that had been popular with families having a day out in the country.

Train

Currie High School

Currie Community High School is a six-year comprehensive school serving the south-west of the City of Edinburgh, Scotland. The school roll currently stands at 727 of whom 20% attend as a result of parental placing requests. The school's feeder primary schools are Currie Primary School, Nether Currie Primary School and Juniper Green Primary School. Several Labour Party politicians have made visits, including former First Minister Henry McLeish, also more recently First Minister Jack McConnell, Sarah Boyack and David Miliband. It has also been visited by William Hague and Malcolm Rifkind. The school is a Community High School, offering classes, activities and events to the local community.

Community Centre School

869 m

Balerno line

The Balerno line was a short loop railway in the southern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was 6 miles in length, leaving the main Caledonian Railway Edinburgh to Carstairs line at Slateford, and rejoining it at Ravelrig. It was built by the Caledonian Railway mainly to service the many manufacturing enterprises situated along the upper Water of Leith, and passenger trains also ran. The line opened in 1874. As well as at Balerno, stations were constructed at Colinton, Juniper Green and Currie. The line was steeply graded. In the 1930s the line increased in popularity for residential and leisure travel, but the passenger business never reached the desired level, and the line was closed to passenger trains in 1943. In the 1960s the mills that sustained the goods train business closed down, and the line closed completely in 1967.

Historic Site Landmark

Malleny House and Garden

The Malleny House and Garden is an historic house and garden owned by the National Trust for Scotland in Balerno, 6 mi (9.7 km) southwest of Edinburgh. The gardens are notable for its large yew trees, as well as one of the largest rose collections in Scotland. According to Historic Environment Scotland, Malleny is noted for its outstanding architectural and horticultural value including its national collection of heritage shrub roses. The house, gardens and adjoining estate buildings are Category A listed.

Historic Site Landmark