Craigcrook Castle Craigcrook Castle is a well - preserved castle in Blackhall , about west of the centre of Edinburgh , Scotland . The castle primarily of the 17th century , though with later additions . In the 19th century it was the home of Francis Jeffrey , Lord Jeffrey , and became known for its literary gatherings . Much of the castle is today occupied as business premises , and is a category B listed building . As of April 2013 , property company DTZ is currently advertising the residential portion of the castle for long leasehold interest . History . The lands of Craigcrook were , in the 14th century , in the possession of the Graham family . In 1362 the lands were given to the chaplains of St . Giles ' Cathedral . They passed through several more owners before 1542 , when William Adamson , a merchant and burgess of Edinburgh , took possession . Adamson owned large estates in what is now north - western Edinburgh , including Craigleith , Groathill and Clermiston . Adamson was killed at the Battle of Pinkie on 10 September 1547 . The Adamson family constructed , or reconstructed , Craigcrook Castle , and owned it until 1659 , when it was sold to John Mein , a merchant in Edinburgh . Ten years later it became the home of Sir John Hall of Dunglass , who later was the Lord Provost of Edinburgh in 1689 . Hall sold the property in 1682 to Walter Pringle , advocate , who in turn sold it , in 1689 , to John Strachan , Writer to the Signet . On Strachan ' s death in 1719 , his property , including Craigcrook Castle , was left for charitable purposes . The charitable Craigcrook Mortification , which was set up on the death of John Strachan , retains ownership of the castle and grounds . It is not known when the castle itself was constructed . From the style of building , the majority of the castle has been dated to the early 17th century . However , the nature of the vaulting inside suggests that the core of an earlier fortalice was extensively rebuilt or extended at this time . Archibald Constable , the publisher , occupied it until 1815 when it became the home of the lawyer and literary critic Francis Jeffrey , Lord Jeffrey ( 1773 – 1850 ) . Soon after he took on the tenancy , Jeffrey added a drawing room wing to the north ; and in 1835 he commissioned William Playfair to remodel the main building and rebuild the east . During the tenancies of Constable and Jeffrey Sir Walter Scott visited the castle frequently . The castle is said to be haunted by Lord Jeffrey . Another 19th century tenant was the writer and politician William Stirling who , in 1855 , offered the use of the grounds to the English poet Gerald Massey , then in Edinburgh as an editor on the " Edinburgh News " . Massey subsequently wrote the poem " Craigcrook Castle " , considered to be one of his most accomplished poems in blank verse . The tenant after Jeffrey ' s death was John Hunter Watt . Craigcrook Castle was known during the 19th century for its literary soirées ; among the guests were Charles Dickens , Hans Christian Andersen , George Eliot and Lord Tennyson . A billiard room was added to the east by Robert Croall in about 1891 , the architect being Thomas Leadbetter . Another extension was added , after the property became the base for an architectural practice , in 1968 . The castle was listed on 14 July 1966 . Craigcrook was the Scottish headquarters of Marine Harvest Ltd , a multinational fish - farming company , between 1986 and 2004 . Benjamin Tindall Architects restored the interior in 1989 . It is now occupied as a commercial property by house builders Barratt ( East Scotland ) , " Scottish Field " Magazine , design practice Zebrano , Special Publications , and Craigcrook Interiors Ltd . Description . The castle is close to Corstorphine Hill , and was a fine country house convenient for the city . The history of the Parish of Cramond says , " To the S . W . of Drylaw , in a hollow at the foot of Corstorphine Hill , which here makes a turn or crook to the eastward , whence the name is derived , stands Craigcrook , apparently the most antient edifice in the parish " . It originated as a Z - plan tower house , but has had numerous additions , with the result that both within and without there is a jumble of styles . There is a round tower on the south west corner , and a square tower to the north east . The main block is about , and three storeys high . The ground floor was formerly vaulted . as is the upper floor of the round tower . The round tower is in diameter . The square tower ' s sides are long , with the stairs at the south east angle . There is an entrance tower , built by Playfair . The castle has crow - stepped gables and pediment dormer windows . Some of the 19th century interior work of is interest , including murals by David Roberts . A 17th - century wall still encloses the garden which has a roll - moulded arched gateway , the pediment of which is dated 1626 .