Its location at grid reference NT348726 is to the east of the town centre, on the south side of the High Street.

When Ben Jonson visited the house in 1619, he wrote to William Drummond of Hawthornden to enquire after this emblems.

In 1745, following victory at the Battle of Prestonpans, Charles Edward Stuart, the "Young Pretender", stayed here, as well as using the building as a field hospital.

[6] In 1951 Pinkie House was bought by Loretto School, and altered again in the 1970s, with the addition of two other buildings in the grounds.

The oldest part comprises a five-storey tower, to which Seton added bartizans and a crenellated parapet.

This was attached to a strong three-storey main block with a pitched roof, again altered by Seton with square turrets.

Seton's main addition was the long three-storey south wing, which includes on its upper floor the 96-foot Painted Gallery.

A Latin inscription above the door states that "Alexander Seton built this house not to the measure of his desire, but of his fortunes and estate".