Abbot's Tower

Overview

Abbot’s Tower is a restored 16th‑century tower house near the village of New Abbey in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It was built around 1580 during the upheaval of the Scottish Reformation as a secure residence for the Broun (Brown) family, who were closely connected with Sweetheart Abbey. The tower occupies a commanding position on the south‑eastern end of a low hill, overlooking the confluence of the New Abbey Pow with the estuary of the River Nith. Originally, the surrounding lands belonged to Sweetheart Abbey and were leased to the Broun family. After a member of the family became abbot of the abbey, the lands were alienated and the tower was erected as a fortified home and refuge. By 1790 the building had been abandoned; in 1989 it was purchased and the ruin carefully restored. Today the tower is a private residence that operates as a small bed and breakfast; the surrounding site is not generally open to the public.

Historical context

Connection to Sweetheart Abbey – The lands around New Abbey were owned by the Cistercian Sweetheart Abbey and leased to the Broun family. In the late 16th century the Brouns took advantage of the political turmoil of the Reformation. They dismantled part of the abbey and used its stone to construct a secure tower house for John Broun (or possibly his kinsman Gilbert Broun, the last abbot of Sweetheart). The tower was built before the Crown could seize the abbey’s property, providing a safe refuge for the family and for Catholics who continued to practise their faith after the abbey was suppressed.

Broun residence and conflict – The Broun family occupied the tower into the early 17th century. Gilbert Broun remained an active Catholic priest and, with the support of powerful families such as the Maxwells, continued to celebrate Mass in the district. He was eventually arrested and exiled in 1605, illustrating the religious tensions that prompted the construction of the tower.

Decline and abandonment – By the late 18th century the tower had fallen out of use. It was described as ruinous by 1892; only the west wall and staircase wing remained standing to their full height while the other walls collapsed and ashlar quoins were removed for building elsewhere. Archaeological investigations in the early 1990s uncovered the foundations of outbuildings and a barmkin (courtyard wall) measuring about 21 × 39 m, indicating that the tower had once been the corner of a larger defended enclosure.

Restoration and modern use – Restoration began after the tower was purchased in 1989 and took about ten years. Ivy was carefully removed and skilled stonemasons rebuilt the collapsed sections using traditional techniques. The building was converted into comfortable accommodation and operates as a bed and breakfast. The ruins of Sweetheart Abbey are a short walk from the tower and can be visited by the public, but Abbot’s Tower itself remains a private residence.

Architecture

Abbot’s Tower is an L‑plan tower house—a rectangular main block with a small stair wing projecting at right angles. The main block measures roughly 8.8 m × 7.2 m (28.75 × 23.6 ft), while the stair‑tower is about 2.6 m (8.5 ft) wide. Thick rubble‑stone walls about 1.2 m (4 ft) thick enclose four storeys and an attic, with a spiral staircase in the projection. Each floor originally contained one room with a fireplace and a built‑in garderobe (latrine) in the south corner. During the 1990s restoration the missing walls were rebuilt and new mullioned windows inserted, reflecting the tower’s blend of defence and domestic comfort.

Barmkin and outbuildings

Excavations revealed traces of ancillary buildings within a stone‑walled barmkin. The courtyard wall enclosed an area roughly 21 × 39 m, with the tower standing in the south‑east corner. These structures would have housed livestock, storage and service rooms, forming a small farmstead around the fortified tower.

Today

Abbot’s Tower is privately owned and run as a boutique bed and breakfast. Visitors who stay at the tower can experience a carefully restored Scottish Renaissance building, with open‑plan rooms, exposed stone walls and period features. The site is not generally open for casual visits, but the village of New Abbey and the ruins of Sweetheart Abbey nearby are accessible to the public. As of 2025 there have been no major changes to its status; it continues to operate as private accommodation while preserving a remarkable example of a late 16th‑century tower house.