The enchanting family house and gardens near Edinburgh with a hint of fairytale castle
Northfield House is a historic Scottish home, just 10 miles from Edinburgh.
Close to the heart of Prestonpans, the East Lothian town noted for its collection of listed buildings including Preston Tower and the noteworthy Mercat Cross, is Northfield House – an enchanting and meticulously restored house situated within its own secluded grounds.
Currently on the market with Savills at a guide price of £1 million, Northfield House was built for the Hamiltons of Preston (who occupied nearby Preston Tower) in the late sixteenth century and was sold to Joseph Marjoribanks, a burgess of Edinburgh in 1607.
Marjoribanks and his wife Marion Symesoune, whose initials and the date 1611 and inscription ‘EXCEP THE LORD BVLD IN WANE BVLDS MAN’ grace the smart Renaissance doorway on the south front of the house, were responsible for a major remodelling of the mansion house between 1608 and 1611.
Since then, the house has escaped major enlargement, but has been gently brought up to date by successive owners.
Northfield House is a L-plan house of three storeys and a garret. Large bartizans crown all corners, the pitch of the roof is very steep, and there are corbiestepped gables.
The gardens and grounds are particularly beautiful. The area immediately to the south of the house include lawns and flower beds with box bushes and roses.
There is a magnificent weeping ash tree, bay tree, productive pear trees and a belt of mature trees along the southern boundary providing a good deal of privacy. To the west lies the orchard and vegetable garden.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Just 10 miles east of Edinburgh, Northfield House is conveniently located with a good local rail link and road connections to the city. Edinburgh Airport is approximately 20 miles by road and Dunbar has mainline railway connections to London.
Northfield House is on the market with Savills at a guide price of £1 million – see more details and pictures.
Credit: tim gartside / Alamy Stock Photo
The best places to live near Edinburgh – and what you could get for your money
Looking for the perfect spot from which to enjoy the country life while working in Edinburgh? Eleanor Doughty picks out
Credit: Stewart Christie
Why to invest in a set of bespoke tweeds – and where to get them made
A set of bespoke tweeds is on every gentleman's wish list – Charlotte Peters looks at the best places to
Scone Palace: The Seat of the Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield, part 1 by John Cornforth
From the Country Life Archive: Little remains of the medieval abbey of Scone, just north of Perth, where the Kings
Agnes has worked for Country Life in various guises — across print, digital and specialist editorial projects — before finally finding her spiritual home on the Features Desk. A graduate of Central St. Martins College of Art & Design she has worked on luxury titles including GQ and Wallpaper* and has written for Condé Nast Contract Publishing, Horse & Hound, Esquire and The Independent on Sunday. She is currently writing a book about dogs, due to be published by Rizzoli New York in September 2025.
-
What on earth is the person who comes up with Annabel's otherworldly facade displays on? London's most magical Christmas shop displaysPhotographs by Greg Funnell.
By Rosie Paterson Published
-
What trees taught me about perfect planting — Alan TitchmarshSense and patience is key to growing healthy trees, as a certain Mr Mackenzie showed a young Alan Titchmarsh
By Alan Titchmarsh Last updated
-
It'd be crazy to buy this 500-year-old farmhouse just because of its utterly gorgeous Aga — so thank goodness that the rest of this place is also really nicePerry Mill Farm is an immaculate yet characterful four-bedroom dream home in the country at a price that will make city dwellers immediately start Googling 'working from Worcestershire'.
By Toby Keel Published
-
'A masterpiece of timeless elegance' for sale on the charmed Surrey estate once owned by Henry VIII and the Guinness familyThe Manor House in Burwood Park is a grand, enormous and undeniably impressive. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
By Annabel Dixon Published
-
A grand hall in Yorkshire with 400 years of historyCarlton Hall is a wonderful family home amid glorious gardens in a quaint village location. Penny Churchill looks inside.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
Why don't more of us live in brightly coloured homes?It's not often that you see a home sporting the colour palette that you'd get if you hired a four-year old as your interior designer. But why not? The Blue House in Bethnal Green asks this and many more questions.
By Toby Keel Published
-
Five magnificent mansions, from a former monastery to an Art Deco wonder in the South Downs, as seen in Country LifeWonderful homes, including a superb beach home in Cornwall, all fresh on the market via Country Life.
By Toby Keel Published
-
A 14-bedroom 'miniature Downton Abbey' to call your own — and there's not a penny of Mansion Tax to be paidNorton Manor is an incredible period home that's on the market for £1.3 million.
By Toby Keel Published
-
The dream ski chalet for sale: Plan world domination and ski Japow at the same timeEach week, James Fisher fantasises about a dream ski chalet he'd like to buy, but can't — from architecturally striking marvels, to cosy mountain retreats, and everything in between. This week, we are off to the top of the Rusutsu resort in Japan.
By James Fisher Published
-
A country home that comes with a perfect lifestyle business: one of Britain's oldest vineyardsAstley Vineyard in Worcestershire, and the lovely house that it comes with, are looking for a new owner.
By Toby Keel Published
