Leuchie House

Leuchie House is an eighteenth-century mansion near North Berwick in East Lothian, roughly 50 miles east of Edinburgh. Today it houses Scotland's national respite centre for people with neurological conditions and their carers. It is a working care home rather than a visitor attraction, so it helps to know what to expect.

Can you visit Leuchie House?

Not like a museum. A charity runs the house and guests stay on respite breaks, so there are no regular public opening hours. The building is best appreciated as a piece of architecture and part of the East Lothian landscape. For any events or visits, check with the charity itself or with Visit East Lothian.

What is the history of the house?

The core of the mansion was built between 1779 and 1785 as a classical three-storey house, reusing the foundations of an earlier building and a vaulted cellar. A later extension almost doubled its size and left the facade asymmetrical. Historic Environment Scotland lists it Category A, the top grade, since February 1971 (reference LB14746).

In the twentieth century the house became a holiday home for people with multiple sclerosis. Servite nuns ran it first, then the MS Society from 1998. When the Society withdrew funding in 2010, a local campaign and public donations brought the house back to life in summer 2011 as an independent charity.

What else is protected here?

The grounds appear in Scotland's Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes. The parkland, woods, lawns and walled garden date from the early nineteenth century and are linked to the Hamilton-Dalrymple family, with an 1804 survey map surviving. John Claudius Loudon is thought to have advised on the layout, though no plans confirm it. The 1859 stable block and the gate lodge from the same period are listed separately (Category C).

Who stays here, and what is offered?

Guests come for 4, 7 or 11 nights. The centre has 23 guest beds plus rooms for carers. Stays include round-the-clock care, physiotherapy, activities and outings, and home-cooked meals. Guests live with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, motor neurone disease, Huntington's, cerebral palsy, or the effects of stroke and spinal injury.

How do you get there?

The house lies south of North Berwick at about 56.04 N, 2.69 W. From Edinburgh it is under an hour by car. North Berwick has a direct train from Edinburgh, but you will need a taxi or car for the last stretch.

Frequently asked questions

Is Leuchie House open to tourists? There are no fixed visiting hours. It is a working care centre, so contact the charity before any visit.

Is the house a listed building? Yes. Historic Environment Scotland lists it Category A, and its grounds are on the national inventory of designed landscapes.

Who can stay? People with long-term neurological conditions such as MS or Parkinson's, and their carers, on respite breaks.

What is the nearest town? North Berwick, a seaside town with beaches, golf links and views of the Bass Rock.