Staneyhill Tower is a 17th century tower house in West Lothian, Scotland.[1] [2] [3] [4] The tower is located to the southeast of Hopetoun House.[5] It is a scheduled monument of national importance being the "remains of a 17th-century L-plan tower house which incorporates a particularly fine and unusual hexagonal tower".[6] The building is said to provide important information about 17th-century domestic architecture.[6] It is also said to be evidence of 17th court life in Scotland.[2]
The building onsets primarily of a ruined octagonal stair tower that is built onto a L-plan structure. The walls and vaults of the ground floor also partially remain. It includes a "superb broken pedimented doorway of a highly fashionable house, possibly by Sir James Murray of Kilbaberton or William Ayton."[1]
The tower house was first erected circa 1630 for the Shairps family.[1] William Sharp of Staneyhill was the brother of James Sharp, Archbishop of St Andrews, who was murdered by Covenanters in 1679.[7] The site originally had a fine fountain which derived its water source from the nearby former Maggie's Loch which was drained in the 19th century.[4] Waterpipes have been recovered during digging by farmers.[4]
It had fallen out of use by the 18th century, coming under the ownership of the Earls of Hopetoun where many of its building materials were reused, potentially at Niddry Castle.[2]
The site became a scheduled monument on 24 Oct 1935 and additional designation given on 9 Oct 1998.[8] [6]