Addyman Archaeology undertook a watching brief at Cranshaws Castle as part of a planning condition in relation to the refurbishment and repair of the tower. The condition required monitoring of works, both of excavation within and around the tower, and of works affecting the upstanding fabric. Overall the new works to date at Cranshaws have revealed extensive new evidence relating to the analytical history of the tower. Though in many respects an unusually complete surviving example of an early tower house this evidence has in part provided corroboration for historically documented modification, and has partly provided much new information that the structure has undergone extensive change. It has also been possible to add very considerably to the understanding of the original appearance of the tower, particularly internally.
Addyman et al. (2013) studied this question.