The Castles of Clan Logan

The Logans were not the original owners, nor were they the last. In the beginning part of the 14th century, not too long after the castle was built, it was inherited by the Logan family of Restalrig. This Lowland branch of Clan Logan held onto the grounds until Sir Robert Logan was found to be involved with the Gowrie Conspiracy against King James VI in the 1600s. In the 18th century, the castle was once again subject to loss as a result of rebellion against the crown. After Robert Logan, Arthur Elphinstone took over as owner of Lochend, but his involvement in the Jacobite Rising of 1745 caused his execution and forfeiture of the castle. The house as it stands today was built in 1820. Up until 2018, it did not have a private owner. Rather, it was owned by the City of Edinburgh Council and used as a children’s centre. In 2016, the roof of the house caught fire, which ultimately inspired a reconstruction which allowed the property to be put onto the market.

Today, the grounds of the castle are situated in what is known as Lochend Park. While Lochend House is a private residence, Lochend itself is a public park, with plenty for visitors to enjoy. Though there are no remnants of the original 14th century structure, there are aspects of the 16th century reconstruction within the house, and those interested in checking out historical sites will enjoy discovering the 16th century doocot located in the park. The doocot, or dove cote, would have originally housed doves and pigeons, but in the 19th century, it acted as a boathouse.

Lochend House overlooks a loch, which is situated at the bottom of a rock escarpment and is said to be the main attraction of the park. The range of wildfowl that the loch is home to even have historical significance - James VI paid a visit to Lochend to hunt the wildfowl in 1507. The loch also famously acted as Leith’s water supply from 1650 and was not totally sealed off until 1920.

Although perhaps not as famously connected to the Logan Clan as Lochend, Fast Castle off the coast of Berwickshire not far from ScotlandShop HQ, was also once held by Sir Robert Logan. Visitors can only see ruins of what was a large fortress, but Fast Castle has a vast history, dating back to the Iron Age. By the time it came to the hands of Sir Robert, it had passed through the ownership of the likes of Alexander Home - Chamberlain of Scotland and even Henry VIII. Prior to the loss of all of Logan’s estates due to his involvement with the Gowrie conspiracy, he and mathematician John Napier searched Fast Castle for supposed treasure, but none was found.