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.

How this image was made

Software and tools used: Blender 3D, Cycles Render Engine, Substance 3D Painter, Photoshop

Notes: The image was developed from a 3D model, which was guided by input and advice from archaeologist Piers Dixon. A photogrammetric survey of the exterior building fabric served as the principal reference for 3D modelling. The internal spaces were modelled using floor plans and photography; however, much of the building's internal fabric above the second floor level is missing, so some speculation was necessary. The reconstructions mainly focus on the tower. Originally, the tower would have been located within an enciente or enclosure containing other buildings; however, such evidence has long been lost.