After fire destroyed much of the Playfair building at nearby Dollar Academy in 1961, Harviestoun Castle acted briefly as a satellite for Prep (Primary) School classes, as secondary school pupils occupied the Preparatory School building. Much of the castle was 'out of bounds' due to structural problems (possibly dry rot), but was a popular home for pupils of that era, according to accounts in school magazines. The grounds featured extensive gardens framed by two giant sequoia trees on the south lawn, and extensive plantings of rhododendron and bamboo. The castle was demolished in 1970. For a period in the 1970s a small private coal mine operated on the estate.
