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Elphinstone Tower today

Scotland · Ruin

Elphinstone Tower

Elphinstone Tower (also called Dunmore or Airth Tower) is a 16th‑century Scottish tower house ruin on the Dunmore Estate near Airth in Falkirk council area. Built by Sir John Elphinstone and later enlarged with a gallery and hall in the early 17th century, the tower was partly remodelled as a family burial vault and has decayed since the Murray family left the estate in 1911.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1638

Today

Ruin

As it stood in 1638

What Elphinstone Tower looked like in its prime.

A tall, rectangular stone tower house of roughly 9 by 7.4 metres footprint, rising to a crenellated parapet about 17 metres above ground. Built of pale grey-brown rubble masonry with small vertical windows and narrow slit openings, the tower presents a plain, blocky silhouette punctuated by a corbelled parapet and projecting angle. In its prime it stood detached amid parkland and scattered trees on the Dunmore estate, its stone surfaces clean and the roofline intact.

Its story

The story of Elphinstone Tower.

Elphinstone Tower, also known as Dunmore or Airth Tower, was built in the early 16th century by Sir John Elphinstone as the seat of the barony of Elphinstone, north-west of Airth in the Falkirk council area. Alexander Elphinstone, 4th Lord Elphinstone, added a gallery and a new hall before his death in 1638.

In 1754 the estate was purchased for £16,000 by John Murray, son of the 3rd Earl of Dunmore, who built the famous Dunmore Pineapple elsewhere on the estate in 1761. After the 5th Earl commissioned Dunmore Park as the principal residence in the 1820s, the old tower was restored and its ground floor remodelled as a family burial vault. The Murray family left Dunmore in 1911, and the tower, a category C(S) listed ruin, has decayed since.

Step inside

6 places to explore in 1638.

The record describes 6 distinct spots at Elphinstone Tower, including 3 interiors: great hall added by the 4th lord, upper gallery, ground-floor family burial vault. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Exterior approach through the estate treesBase of the south faceParapet and battlements (roof walk)Great hall added by the 4th LordUpper galleryGround-floor family burial vault

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The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1638, a photoreal reconstruction that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.

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Whose castle

Clans who held Elphinstone Tower.

The families that held Elphinstone Tower for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Elphinstone

    Seat of the barony of Elphinstone from the early 16th century, when Sir John Elphinstone built the tower, until the estate was sold in 1754.

  • Murray

    Bought for £16,000 in 1754 by John Murray, son of the 3rd Earl of Dunmore; the Murrays held the Dunmore Estate until 1911.

Nearby

Landmarks within reach of Elphinstone Tower.

Dunfermline Abbey, ScotlandMonasteryDunfermline Abbey20 km awayAntonine Wall, ScotlandAncient siteAntonine Wall22 km awayForth Bridge, ScotlandBridgeForth Bridge26 km away

Questions about Elphinstone Tower

What is the history of Elphinstone Tower?

Elphinstone Tower was built in the early 16th century as the seat of the barony of Elphinstone. Alexander Elphinstone, 4th Lord Elphinstone, added a gallery and a new hall before 1638. The estate was sold to John Murray in 1754, and the tower’s ground floor was later remodelled as a family burial vault. The Murray family left in 1911, after which it decayed.

What is inside Elphinstone Tower?

Inside Elphinstone Tower are a great hall, an upper gallery and a ground-floor family burial vault. The great hall and gallery were added by Alexander Elphinstone, 4th Lord Elphinstone. The ground floor was later remodelled as a burial vault for the Murray family.

Why was Elphinstone Tower built, and what was it used for?

Elphinstone Tower was built as the seat of the barony of Elphinstone. Sir John Elphinstone raised it in the early 16th century, and it later gained a gallery and a new hall. Its ground floor was subsequently remodelled as a family burial vault after Dunmore Park became the estate’s principal residence.

Where is Elphinstone Tower?

Elphinstone Tower is on the Dunmore Estate near Airth, in the Falkirk council area. It stands 1.5 kilometres north-west of Airth and 9 kilometres east of Stirling. The surrounding estate lies in central Scotland.

When was Elphinstone Tower built?

Elphinstone Tower was built in the early 16th century. Its first-raised year is not recorded, while the later gallery and new hall were added before 1638. The tower is therefore a 16th-century building with 17th-century additions.

Which family or clan held Elphinstone Tower?

Elphinstone Tower was held by the Elphinstone family from the early 16th century until the estate was sold in 1754. John Murray bought it for £16,000 that year, and the Murray family held the Dunmore Estate until 1911.

What did Elphinstone Tower look like in its prime?

In its prime, Elphinstone Tower was a tall, rectangular stone tower house with a footprint of roughly 9 by 7.4 metres. Pale grey-brown rubble masonry, small vertical windows and narrow slit openings formed its plain, blocky exterior. A corbelled parapet with crenellations rose about 17 metres above the ground.

Is Elphinstone Tower still standing, or is it a ruin?

Elphinstone Tower is now a ruin, although the tower still stands to the parapet. Its walls are about 17 metres high, but the north-west angle collapsed after a storm around 1968. The Murray family left the estate in 1911, and the tower has decayed since then.

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