[1] The house is a Category A listed building[2] and the grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.

[3] A Lauriston Castle which stood on the site in medieval times was almost totally destroyed in the raids on Edinburgh in 1544 by the Earl of Hertford's troops.

John Law then inherited the estate and it stayed in his family until 1823 when sold to banker and mineralogist Thomas Allan.

On 3 December 1827 Sir Walter Scott wrote in his journal: Went with Tom Allan to see his building at Lauriston where he has displayed good taste—supporting instead of tearing down or destroying the old Chateau which once belonged to the famous Mississippi Law.

"[5]William Robert Reid, proprietor of Morison & Co., an Edinburgh cabinetmaking business, acquired Lauriston Castle in 1902, and left their home to Scotland on the condition that it should be preserved unchanged.