Sometimes referred to as Scotland s Gatekeeper , lying as it does just east of the capital along the Firth of Forth, East Lothian has had an often turbulent history. With stunning photographs taken in the late 19th and early 20th centuries before what the author terms the decline of the great houses , this book traces the history of building in the area from the defensible towers of the 14th and 15th century to the great houses built in more settled times by both the gentry and the rich traders of the 18th and 19th century. Among the numerous architectural gems are: Alderston House (showing both interior and exterior views); Bolton Muir near East Gifford; Bothwell Castle, Haddington; Biel House, Stenton; Lauderdale house, Dunbar and Lennoxlove House, Haddington whose L-shaped tower was damaged during the Rough Wooing attacks of the English in 1549.