Photograph by kind permission of Edward Allgeyer
Photograph by kind permission of Edward Allgeyer
Photograph by kind permission of Edward Allgeyer
Photograph by kind permission of Edward Allgeyer
Photograph by kind permission of Edward Allgeyer
Photograph by kind permission of Edward Allgeyer
Photograph by kind permission of Edward Allgeyer
The house from a circa 1919 postcard
Photograph by kind permission of Edward Allgeyer
Photograph by kind permission of Edward Allgeyer
Photograph by kind permission of Edward Allgeyer
Photograph by kind permission of Edward Allgeyer
House & Family History: Originally a late 16th-early 17th century tower house, Lauriston Castle was almost completely rebuilt in the 19th and 20th centuries, primarily by William Robert Reid, who bought the castle in 1903 and decorated its interiors in lavish Edwardian fashion. Reid, who died in 1919, was the owner of the Edinburgh cabinet maker Morison & Company and a keen connoisseur and collector.
Collections: Reid filled Lauriston Castle with a top-notch collection of 18th century Italian furniture, Sheffield Plate, Caucasion carpets, tapestries, and Derbyshire blue john. The collection is in situ and came with the house when it was given to the nation in 1926.
Garden & Outbuildings: The house sits in 30 acres of parkland.
Architect: William Reid
Date: 1903-19Architect: William Henry Playfair the Younger
Date: 1845
Title: Johansens Historic Houses, Castles & Gardens, 1999
Author: NA
Year Published: 1998
Publisher: London: Johansens
ISBN: 1860175066
Book Type: Softback
House Listed: Category A
Park Listed: Listed as a Garden & Designed Landscape
Past Seat / Home of: William Robert Reid, 1903-19.
Current Ownership Type: Government
Primary Current Ownership Use: Visitor Attraction
Ownership Details: Owned by City of Edinburgh Council
House Open to Public: Yes
Phone: 01313-361-921
Website: https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk
Historic Houses Member: No