Seton Collegiate Church

PricingHalf price in your first year of English Heritage membership, then freeEH memberHalf, then freeNon-member£8.50

EH members: half price, then freeInfo

Half price, then free, for English Heritage members

This place is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland. First-year English Heritage members get 50% off the ticket price; members who have renewed get in free. Bring your valid membership card, and any pre-booked tickets, to ensure entry.

Pre-booking is recommended at Edinburgh Castle, Skara Brae, Stirling Castle, Blackness Castle, Urquhart Castle, Doune Castle and Maeshowe. Bookings are limited to six people per membership.
Bring the card itself: joint and family memberships admit the named holders only.
Historic Scotland does not offer reciprocal admission to National Trust properties, and a National Trust card is not accepted here.

More information

Entry

Non-member prices

Adult (aged 16 to 64)£8.50

Child (aged 7 to 15)£5.00

Concession (aged 65 and over)£6.80

Pricing details

In-person price; £7.50 booked online. One undated price table is published for the April to September season; recheck on reopening in 2027. Children under 7 free but need a ticket; up to two carers free per transaction; Young Scot card holders pay £1 online. Explorer Pass visits sold. Family tickets are mentioned but not priced; no joint ticket or audio guide. English Heritage members: half price in your first membership year and free after your first renewal, on showing a valid card; bookings capped at six people per membership. Historic Scotland members free.

In-person price on Historic Scotland's page, which gives £4.50 online; the webstore sells the child ticket at £3.50 online, so the page's child row may be out of date. Under-7s free with a ticket. English Heritage members: half price in your first membership year and free after your first renewal, on showing a valid card; bookings capped at six people per membership. Historic Scotland members free.

In-person price; £6 booked online. English Heritage members: half price in your first membership year and free after your first renewal, on showing a valid card; bookings capped at six people per membership. Historic Scotland members free.

ParkingParking not known

The Trust's page does not say how parking is charged.

Parking details

Historic Scotland says the car park is surfaced with smooth tarmac with spaces clearly marked and two accessible bays, and the site is about 150 m away along an earth and tarmac path that can be very muddy in wet weather. No charge or free statement is published, so the status is recorded as unknown.

Driving pin: the church, where Historic Scotland's own map link points, 16 m from HES's pin; the car park itself could not be located on maps, and is probably on the drive from the A198. Seton Castle and The Seton Garden next door are private. Historic Scotland names no bus service, only its journey planners, and lists the site as accessible by public transport.

About

Seton Collegiate Church stands among trees near the East Lothian coast, one of the finest medieval collegiate churches in Scotland. A parish church stood here from the 1100s, and in the 1400s it became the private chapel and burial place of the Seton family. In 1470 George, 1st Lord Seton, founded a college of a provost, six priests, a clerk and two choirboys and began the splendid choir and sacristy, and his son completed the building after papal approval in 1492. The foundations of the priests' quarters survive beside it, a rare sight. English troops burned its woodwork and took its bells and organ in the Rough Wooing of the 1540s, and Lady Janet Seton then built the transepts and the tower with its truncated spire. Inside, look for the fine carved priests' seats and the basin for rinsing the sacred vessels. The church reopened to visitors in 2025 after years of closure, and reviewers praise its stained glass, acoustics and peaceful grounds of gravestones and wildflowers.

ClosedPick a day for times and prices

Until 31 Mar: Closed
From 1 Apr: Thu, Fri 10:00–16:30, last entry 16:00

Today, Saturday 24 October

Seton Collegiate ChurchClosed

Opening times may change at short notice.

1 April to 30 September Thursdays and Fridays 10am to 4.30pm, closed other days; may close for lunch; last entry 30 minutes before closing; closed 1 October to 31 March. Historic Scotland recommends booking an entry slot in advance. The church is also a wedding venue. No notice on 18 October 2026.

From the car park a 150 m earth and tarmac path, muddy when wet, leads to a single deep stone step into the site (portable ramp available). The church is entered across loose gravel, up one stone step and through double doors; the nave is level, with two small steps up to the choir and one into the sacristy (ramp available). The priests' quarters and a carved stone shelter are across a lawn and gravel drive. Toilets are down rough earth-cut steps without a handrail; the nearest adapted toilets are 1.5 miles away in Tranent. Small shop and picnic area; no cafe or audio guide. Dogs are allowed outside but not in the church.

Dogs: Dogs are allowed at the site but not in roofed areas, so not in the church; HES's page gives no lead rule. The site is open only 1 April to 30 September.

Photo: Seton Collegiate Church's truncated spire, tower and traceried south transept window above a sweep of lawn. M J Richardson, CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seton_Collegiate_Church_-_geograph.org.uk_-_3090171.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.