[2] It has a single door, on the ground floor, giving access to the house from the courtyard; grooves remain in the stonework for the iron yett that would originally have protected the entrance.

[2][3] Above the door is an armorial panel, which bears the worn initials of Edward Maxwell, who had the tower built, and his wife Janet Corsane (or Carson).

[4] The great hall is on the first floor, and is provided with a large fireplace, 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m) in width, and a window recess with stone seating in the walls to either side of it.

[5] In 1527 Edward Maxwell, tenant of Breconside, bought the Hills estate from James Douglas of Drumlanrig, and had the original tower built soon afterwards.

[3] It was later improved by his grandson, also Edward Maxwell, the third laird, between 1598 and 1600;[5] the surviving gatehouse was added at this time, and work was done on the upper parts of the tower, including the addition of the cannon gargoyles.

[3] The building works put a financial strain on the family, but they were able to retain ownership of the property and in 1721 the sixth laird, another Edward Maxwell, commissioned the mason John Selchrig (or Selkirk) to add the two-storey wing to the east side of the tower.