Fatlips Castle

[cessna152towser]

Good idea, Robertson. It would be nice to see this 16th century towerhouse fulfilling a role either as a tourist attraction or as a private house again, though the hilltop location accessible only on foot is against it. The stonework looks to be in sound condition, but timberwork for flooring, window frames, etc. is long overdue for renewal. Because of the current dangerous condition of the interior the owners do not encourage visitors, although they take no active steps to deter anyone who wants to visit at their own risk. There is a small Armstrong museum just to the south of Hawick; the Pringles are well represented by Smailholm Tower; and a new genealogy centre is planned for Hawick's old Tower Mill, so important Border clans such as Turnbull and Elliot, both of whom feature in the history of Fatlips Castle, could do with having a heritage centre here. I found this interesting piece about the current condition of Fatlips Castle on the Clan Turnbull website. The page in turn contains a further link to John Peters photography which contains a description and photographs from a visitor in 2003.
http://www.turnbullclan.com/main/fatlips_castle.htm