A digital reconstruction image of Preston Tower in East Lothian showing how the tower may have looked in 1650, with two upper storeys added above the earlier tower's crenellated parapet. The upper-storey additions feature Jacobean-period architectural styles. The reconstruction shows a covered external forestair of timber construction and a lime-rendered outer finish. The stairs provided access to the tower's first floor - a common means of entry to early medieval tower houses. By combining evidence from timber sockets visible in the exterior masonry and using computer 3D models to explore different working configurations, this visual reconstruction suggests how it might have looked at the time, although this is open to conjecture. Image produced by reconstruction artist Bob Marshall with input from archaeologist Piers Dixon.

Commissioned Work (January, 2022). Client: Friends of Preston Tower

Software / Tools

Blender 3D, Cycles Render Engine, Substance 3D Painter, Photoshop