Greenknowe Tower

Greenknowe Tower stands beside the A6105 road west of Gordon in the Scottish Borders. This 16th-century tower house is now a roofless ruin, yet its stonework remains well preserved. Built more as a residence than a fortress, it represents a later style of tower house. The lands were acquired by the Setons of Touch in the early 15th century through marriage. The tower itself was constructed in 1581 by James Seton, whose initials and those of his wife Janet Edmonstone are carved above the door. The tower was sold to the Pringles of Stichill in the 17th century, who enlarged the windows as times grew safer. It remained occupied until the mid 19th century before passing into state care in 1937. Originally surrounded by marshy ground on a low mound, the tower was designed for defence as well as living. The Setons built it as a residence, not a military stronghold, though its thick walls and bartizans show some defensive features. Visitors find an L-plan tower with a main block of four storeys and a taller stair wing to the east. The entrance is protected by an original iron gate or yett, leading to a vaulted basement once split into kitchen and cellar. The kitchen retains a broad fireplace, slop drain and cupboard in the north wall, with iron meat hooks still hanging from the ceiling. The broad turnpike stair rises to the hall on the first floor, where a large fireplace and four large windows remain. Above the hall, the upper storeys each had two rooms in the main block and four more in the wing, all with fireplaces. The walls are built of local basalt with red sandstone detailing, finishing in crowstep gables. Bartizans at the corners and machicolations on the smaller wing add to the tower’s historic character.