Dirleton, East Lothian

Flower Delivery to Dirleton Scotland with Clare Florist

Dirleton Castle is the heart and soul of Dirleton, and has been an imposing landmark there since early in the 13th century. In the first four hundred years of its rich history this castle served as a residence and has always been the focal point of the Dirleton locale. In the 1600’s, the castle was laid siege to by Cromwell and became unserviceable by military standards. It by no means was forgotten though and it’s historical significance is still the subject of much discussion by locals.

History

The very oldest parts of the castle that are still in evidence date back to de Vauxes’ reign as lord. The monumental towers, are some of the eldest examples of architecture that are still to be seen in Scotland. The builder of the castle, he was also one of the stewards in Queen Marie of Courcy's household, and built a similiar castle near Amiens.

The de Vaux castle had a terrible time of it when the Wars of Independence broke out, it was even captured under orders by the “Hammer of the Scotts” King Edward I. After it was proven that it could be taken, it changed hands several times. But by the mid 1300’s Dirleton would see a new lord, John Haliburton would rebuild part of the infamous castle and add new residential areas for his family.

The castle would see a final owner in 1510, the Ruthvens. Alothough they chose not to make it their primary place of residence, they still brought about substantial improvements to the site. They added a new residence to the property, the Ruthven Lodging, and are the family that originally laid out the gardens. The bowling green as we know it today, was likely their formal garden. Though most of this once palatial residence is now in ruins, enough of the family chapel, the storage vaults and even the daunting pit prison lend their visage to a fantastic impression of life in the Middle ages, making this a popular tourist attraction year round.

The Gardens

The stately Victorian garden on the west of the property, was recently reconstructed. The collection of perennial plants; closely grouped and arranged for a stunning dramatic effect called a herbaceous border, dates back to the 1920’s when it was redone, and extensively expanded. The castle proper is set within these expansive gardens, the herbaceous border at Dirleton is the largest in the world, and is even mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records. To the west of the bowling green there is a flower garden that boasts a stunningly accurate 18th century style garden that even boasts a monkey puzzle tree as well as yew and cedar.

Locale

There is a radar station that lies to the north of Dirleton that is a popular attraction, visitors often come to see the Castle, and stay to see this rarity. It is one of only a handful still in existence from WWII.

Dirleton is not a large parish, but with the castle, gardens, extensive golf courses and radar station, it attracts a steady stream of vacationers and historians. The parish has two fine hotels, The Open Arms and of course the Castle Inn overlooking the village green. The Dirleton Gallery was built and includes two golf courses and the hotel. The parish church has had a serious amount of renovations, but parts of it date back to the 1600’s  making it a popular attraction.

The parish of Dirleton extends beyond the area of the castle and village green and golf courses. The island of Ibris, Fidra and Lamb offer an exciting historical day trip for visitors, with their own castle ruins. 

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