the church at Faarvejle nearby." In 1650 the Castle was attacked by Oliver Cromwell's forces, and was surrendered after only a few cannon shots. The damage to the walls from this attack is still visible. After a period of abandonment, the Castle was restored by 1914. During World War II the structure was used as a hiding place to store national treasures. In 1973 it was leased from the Borthwick family and converted into an exclusive hire venue. In June 2013, the castle closed for extensive refurbishment, and once again opened as an events venue in September 2015. Building Borthwick Castle is built as a double tower, long, in breadth and high. The castle is on a small hill surrounded by a stream. Apart from the large cannon scar on one face, the walls, built of fine sandstone ashlar, are virtually complete, and very unusually, none of the original narrow windows have been enlarged. The battlements, however, no longer survive to their original height, having lost their stepped crenelations. They are carried on massive projecting corbels with corner roundels. The tower has two doorways, both unaltered and round headed. One at ground level leads into the partly subterranean kitchen and storage vaults. The second is directly above it at first-floor level, and leads directly into the stone-vaulted great hall. It is approached by a reconstructed stone bridge. Great Hall The Great hall of Borthwick Castle is long and of great height. The barrelled Gothic ceiling is painted with pictures of the castle and 'De Temple of Honor' in Gothic characters is visible. The chimney which is also on a large scale is covered by designs. Ghostlore Borthwick castle is the setting for local ghostlore stories, one of which features Mary, Queen of Scots. Images References Bibliography External links Overview of Borthwick Castle Video about Borthwick Castle's history Castles in Midlothian Category A listed buildings in Midlothian Listed castles in Scotland Reportedly haunted locations in Scotland