History & Places of Interest
North Berwick has a rich history, and there is evidence of such in the local area – located near to North Berwick Law are hut circles, rich middens and a field system dating from 2000 years ago – the name Berwick itself means barley farmstead. The ‘North’ was added later to differentiate from South Berwick, now Berwick-upon Tweed.
In the 14th century North Berwick became a baronial burgh under William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, who built Tantallon Castle to consolidate his power. The ruins of Tantallon Castle perched on a cliff edge overlooking The Bass Rock remain today and can be visited 5KM East of North Berwick.
West of North Berwick in the village of Dirleton sits Dirleton Castle and it’s beautiful gardens. This magnificent fortress–residence served three successive noble families over 400 years. Badly damaged in Cromwell’s 1650 siege, Dirleton’s fortunes were revived by its new owners in the 1660s.
Both Tantallon and Dirleton Castle’s require visitors to purchase tickets.
North Berwick and wider East Lothian has provided the backdrop and inspiration for many hit films and television shows including Under the Skin starring Scarlett Johanson (Tantallon Castle) The Railway Man starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman (North Berwick town and beach) and Outlander (East Linton, Gosford Estate) to name just a few.