Preston Tower is a Scheduled Monument consisting of a partially ruined Tower House, Doocot and Garden nestling in the heart of the town of Prestonpans, East Lothian. The Tower’s lower storeys are of 15th century origin while the upper storeys were added in the early 17th century. It was burned, along with the adjacent town of Prestonpans in 1544 during the Rough Wooing and then again in 1650. After being rebuilt, its upper storeys were burned again in 1663 and the Tower was eventually permanently abandoned becoming ruinous in the late 18th century. As a prominent built feature on the Forth, it has been a significant landmark in the area ever since. However, it fell into a derelict state by the late 1800s when a number of local citizens worked together to consolidate its remaining walls and floors, saving it for future generations. During the early 20th century, it functioned as the centrepiece of a commercial market garden and in the late 1960s it passed into the ownership of the National Trust for Scotland and is now managed by East Lothian Council. The L-shaped Tower has a main north-south wing subdivided into four floors, with only three of these surviving. Of particular architectural interest were the elaborate entrance arrangements which consisted of a number of different iterations of stairs up to the first floor entrances that were added to the tower. The works have included repairs to the tower, doocot and garden walls, along with new access paths, interpretation, and a new stair which will provide public access to the interior of the Tower, which has been prevented for decades. The project development has been phased allowing a gradual understanding of the site to develop and a relationship to the community to be formed, in what is a historically and culturally sensitive site. The Tower itself is a nationally important highly visible landmark on one hand, however it sits within a walled garden that is used as a quiet local respite, dog walking, and as a throughfare. Throughout the tower’s history it was the location of political, historical and social acts. Decisions were made in close consultation with the community and the client so that a balance was struck between increasing the understanding and accessibility of the site, and retaining the subtleties of the existing amenity and memories that it provides for locals. The sustainability aspect of this project was multi -faceted , from using local, bio-based materials, to ensuring ease of maintenance according to different stakeholders groups, to training up local tradespeople so they can continue to work on the site once the project has finished. The approach, from the repair works to the interpretation to the access proposals, have all been designed to be as minimal as possible and only as much as necessary, yet with the coastal environment and increased rainfall in mind. The combination of local stonemasons and specialist stone conservators provided the range of skills required for all the different aspects of the stonework. Traditional construction techniques were used and as much of the existing stonework as possible was kept. Appropriate new stone, sourced locally, was chosen for each part of the tower, fitting with the overall aesthetic. These were decorated and carved where necessary to match but are intended to be clearly seen as a new repair. Areas in the most eroded lower part of the tower were filled with a mix of stones to match the variety used in this part. However they were introduced set back from the face and in irregularly shaped narrow tiles with traditional hot mixed lime mortar, so that it is clear what is old and what is new. The repair work has become part of the archaeological interpretation of the site. New sensitively designed galvanised metalwork has been installed to the external openings, treated to provide a subtle lead coloured finish . The tower has been made watertight with a new mastic asphalt finish on the second floor which forms the roof to the main hall. From examining the stonework, archaeologists can identify where wooden beams were, and where later changes have been made to the original structure. This evidence was used to create reconstruction illustrations which show some ideas of how the tower may have looked at different times in its history. A new modern staircase which echoes some of the possible historic stairs has been added to allow access to the main entrance. It uses materials to reflect what has been used on the tower including a cop crag stone platt with treated galvanised metal structure.