This afternoon we had a guided tour of Lennoxlove House (formerly called Lethington Tower) near Haddington.  It was originally a fortified four-storey tower built before 1400 at the site of an earlier tower, with 11 foot thick walls. Over the centuries there were several additions including the East Wing in 1620 and a small tower remodelled by William Burn in 1825. In 1912 the house was restored by the famous architect Sir Robert Lorimer and now belongs to the 16th Duke of Hamilton who is the premier peer of Scotland and has a prominent part in any activities involving the King or Queen in Scotland.
The house is very interesting with its art collection including many portraits by Van Dyke and Raeburn, some very fine furniture and various artifacts, many of which were brought from the family palace at Hamilton when it had to be demolished due to subsidence.  One of the previous owners had been the chief minister of Mary Queen of Scots and of special interest to me was the death mask, ring and silver letter casket and other mementoes belonging to her. Among the more modern items are the first aerial photos of Everest and the propeller belonging to the first aeroplane that flew above Everest piloted by the 14th Duke in 1933. There is also the map and compass carried by Rudolf Hess, the deputy Fuhrer, when he crashed after fleeing Nazi Germany to Scotland in 1941 as he hoped to involve the Duke in his plan to negotiate a peace treaty between Britain and Germany.  
 
I was very interested to see the unique sundial at Lennoxlove but was disappointed as it is in the private garden but I did take a heavily cropped photo from a window.  It is believed to date from 1679 and came from Northbar House, Renfrewshire perhaps when Lorimer was renovating the house and gardens.  A lady dressed in 17th century court dress supports a dial stone on top of her head.  As the sundial is over 6 feet high it must haver been very difficult to read and the top and bottom do not appear to match so they were probably not intended to be together.  Some interesting information and photos are here,
Sundial 44 in my sundial list.