Biel House

Biel House is a large and occupied country house overlooking the Biel Water in East Lothian which flows into Belhaven Bay. It sits on the north bank of the river, and is within a large private estate; the house cannot be seen from any public roads and has been converted into flats since its purchase in 1959.

The lands of Biel were part of the estate of the medieval Earls of Dunbar, and were occupied by several members of the family, including Patrick Dunbar, a younger brother of the earl in the latter 14th century. Between 1488 and 1494, the lands were sold to Robert Lauder of the Bass, and in 1632, they were resigned by George Lauder and his wife to James Livingstone, a groom of the bedchamber of King Charles I. In 1647, Livingstone sold it to Sir John Hamilton of Broomhill, who was created Lord Belhaven the following year, and embarked upon an ambitious and extensive programme of landscaping of the estate.

The oldest part of Biel House is a tower house towards the eastern end of the mansion. This has been modified, castellated, and extended to east and west, leaving it rather hidden in the larger building, but what survives is a three storey structure which retains its vaulted basements if little else indicating its age. It is likely this was a 16th century tower, and therefore the work of the Lauders, for whom it was most likely a more civilised home than the Bass Rock! The tower was extended to the west in the 1760s, remodelled and castellated, and then extended again to the east between 1814 and 1818, most of the latter work has now been removed. Further internal remodelling was carried out in the early 20th century. There are some photographs online which suggest that walks are possible through the estates, but none appear to approach the mansion.

HES Canmore database entry