Wreaths Tower

Overview

Wreaths Tower is a ruined medieval tower house situated near Falkirk, in central Scotland. Built in the 15th or early 16th century, it was one of many small fortified residences that dotted the Scottish Lowlands, offering both status and security to the laird and his household. Today only fragmentary remains survive, standing in farmland and partly incorporated into later structures.

Early history

The lands of Wreaths were held in the later Middle Ages by local gentry with ties to the Lennox and Livingston families. Like other tower houses of the period, Wreaths Tower was not a royal fortress but rather a private residence built for a family of some means. Its position near important routes through Stirlingshire gave it strategic value in controlling local land and trade.

Building and layout

The tower was a typical Scottish rectangular tower house, likely rising three to four storeys with thick rubble walls and a vaulted ground floor. A narrow stair would have linked the levels, with storage and service rooms below and a hall and chambers above. Gunloops and small defensive features were incorporated, though the emphasis was on domestic comfort rather than sustained defence.

Later history and decline

By the 17th century, as fashions in domestic architecture shifted towards larger, more comfortable houses, Wreaths Tower began to fall out of use. The estate changed hands several times, and the tower was gradually abandoned. Local stone-robbing for farm buildings further reduced its structure, leaving only low wall fragments by the 18th and 19th centuries.

Present condition

Today the remains of Wreaths Tower consist mainly of foundations and short stretches of masonry, visible in a rural setting. Although much reduced, the ruins still outline the footprint of the tower, giving an impression of its original scale. The site is not formally managed, but it can be viewed under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. It stands as a modest but evocative reminder of the network of tower houses that once characterised the Lowlands.