Photos and the City

Tag: my new british summer

Dryburgh Abbey

After visiting Kelso and Floors Castle I decided to do a little detour and got out of the bus halfway to walk a bit of the Abbey Walk along the River Tweed until I reached Dryburgh Abbey near St. Boswells.

surrounded on three sides by a loop in the River Tweed, means that by road the journey is one of several miles. The sense of seclusion this brings is one of the great joys of Dryburgh Abbey. As a result of it you can begin to gain some sense of what a life of contemplation might have been like for the monks who lived and worshipped here. (Undiscovered Scotland)

It was about 40 minutes to walk until I reached the Abbey and is a very secluded and beautiful location, very peaceful and calm. At least today, in the mediaeval times the abbey was destroyed several times by the English.

The abbey was established by Premonstratensian canons in 1150. Hugh de Moreville, Constable of Scotland and Lord of Lauderdale, had invited them to this idyllic spot from Alnwick Priory, Northumberland. (Moreville was himself an incomer from England.)

Dryburgh became the premier house in Scotland of the French order, which was established by St Norbert of Xanten in 1121 at Prémontré. Its six Scottish houses also included Whithorn Priory.

Dryburgh was never as wealthy or influential as the abbeys at Kelso, Jedburgh and Melrose, and monastic life was on the whole pretty quiet. (Historic Environment Scotland)

Situated in the Scottish Borders the Abbey suffered several attacks and was rebuilt until the Protestant Reformation of 1560 effectively ended monastic life at Dryburgh Abbey. By 1584, just two brethren remained alive.

In the 18th century, the romantic ruin attracted David Erskine, 11th Earl of Buchan and chief founder of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. He bought Dryburgh House and started to create a charming landscape with the abbey figured prominently.

He died in 1829, he was laid to rest in its sacristy. His very good friend Sir Robert Scott died in 1832 and his tomb is in the north transept. (pictured above)

The remains of the abbey were acquired by the Earl of Buchan in 1786. He worked to preserve what was left, and built within and around it a large formal garden. Like many early antiquarians, he couldn’t resist the temptation to “improve” the ruins. An inscribed date of 1150 owes more to him than to the original builders. He also built the obelisk to the south of the abbey, to commemorate its foundation by Hugh de Moreville. (Undiscovered Scotland)

Today Dryburgh Abbey is under the care of Historic Environment Scotland.

And I had to leave this romantic place and make my way back toward the bus stop on the other side of the River Tweed and the other side of the hill.

14/11/2019
Floors Castle

Kelso

Kelso is a market town in the Scottish Borders about 20 miles from Galashiels or an around 50 minutes bus trip through stunning countryside. Kelso lies on the confluence of the river Tweed and Teviot and is known for its large French-style market square, the largest market square in Scotland.

In the 12th century, Kelso Abbey was founded and the town grew alongside with the arrival of the monks.

Standing on the opposite bank of the River Tweed from the now-vanished royal burgh of Roxburgh, Kelso and its sister hamlet of Wester Kelso were linked to the burgh by a ferry at Wester Kelso. A small hamlet existed before the completion of the abbey in 1128 but the settlement started to flourish with the arrival of the monks. (Wikipedia)

The Abbey controlled the life in Kelso, at one point there was even a beer-tax in favour of the parish. After the Scottish Reformation in the 16th century, the power and the wealth of the Abbey declined.

The Kerr family of Cessford took over the barony and many of the abbey’s properties around the town. By the 17th century, they virtually owned Kelso. (Wikipedia)

Sir Walter Scott went to grammar school in Kelso and called “it is the most beautiful if not the most romantic village in Scotland”.

Floors Castle

I walked the Cobby Riverside Walk from Kelso Town Center to Floors Castle, it´s about 2 miles and a lovely walk. Floors Castle is the largest inhabited castle in Scotland and is home to the 10^th Duke of Roxburghe. But it´s more a big country house than a castle, situated within the two rivers, built in 1721 by William Adam, for the 1^st Duke of Roxburghe. Before that, there was probably a tower house on the grounds. Opposite Floors Castle are the ruins of Roxburgh Castle, which was destroyed by the Scots in 1460.

The family of the current Duke of Roxburghe still lives in Floors Castle and opened some of the rooms for the public. It´s a beautiful walk through the park and the Victorian walled gardens, but I was a little bit disappointed by the inside. There are just a small handful of rooms able to visit and then you´re in the shop.

But as said the park and gardens are stunning and well worth a visit. Like Abbotsford House Floors Castle is part of the Historic Houses and it would be smart to become a member when you want to visit more than one.

12/11/2019
Melrose

Melrose Abbey

A Scottish Border Bus (my ride for the next week) brought me from Abbotsford House to Melrose and it was just a short walk to Melrose Abbey, one of the jewels in the Scottish Borders.

Founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks it was the chief house of the order until the Reformation. Today the monastery is partly ruined and under the care of the Historic Environment Scotland. Last year I used their Explorer Pass for visiting lots of places but this year I upgraded to the membership. It´s really worth it and gives you free entry to 70 places in Scotland! The others are either private (Historic Houses) or under the care of the National Trust for Scotland, I´ll be getting that membership next year.

The Cistercians were drawn to this fertile spot beside the River Tweed by its close associations with St Aidan and St Cuthbert. The monks came from Rievaulx Abbey in Yorkshire, the Cistercians’ great northern English missionary base.

Monastic life continued at Melrose for the next 450 years. The last monk, John Watson, died around 1590. The crumbling abbey church was used as a parish church until a new kirk was built nearby in 1810.

(Historic Enviroment Scotland)

Even so, just a small part of the abbey survived it´s been one of the most beautiful ones I´ve seen so far. And it´s fun to look out for the famous gargoyle of the pipe playing pig.

It is believed that Robert the Bruce loved the abbey so much, that his heart was buried here. Today marked by a memorable stone saying “The heart of a brave man was buried here”.

The monastery contained several houses and plots of land, the Commander’s house is a museum today and has a beautiful view of the abbey.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Sir Walter Scott was appointed Sheriff-Depute of Roxburghshire. In 1822, with the financial assistance of the Duke of Buccleuch, Sir Walter supervised the extensive repair work that was to preserve the ruins. In 1918 the Duke gave the ruins to the state. (Wikipedia)

Scott also described the abbey in a few of his poems.

Harmony garden

Just a short walk from Melrose Abbey lies the Harmony Garden, a peaceful and stunning garden cared for by the National Trust for Scotland.

The garden offers beautiful views of the abbey and the Eildon Hills…

As its name suggests, at Harmony Garden nature is perfectly in tune. Step out of normal life and into somewhere more colourful, relaxing and balanced.

Manicured lawns, scented borders and fruit and vegetable beds spread out from a beautifully proportioned Georgian manor house – available as holiday accommodation. (nts.org.uk)

Priorwood garden

Another beautiful and very calming garden lies on the other side of the abbey: Priorwood Garden, a former house garden of a manor house and a communal garden during WWII.

Priorwood garden has three different sections, a woodland area, a garden dedicated to dried flowers and the orchard.

With wonderfully framed views across to the abbey, the orchard cultivates many historical apple varieties, as well as plums, pears, damsons and greengages. (nts.org.uk)

There were plans to transform the garden into a big parking space for visitors but luckily the National Trust for Scotland was able to buy and conserve it.

MELROSE

After visiting the abbey, the gardens and having a walk along River Tweed it´s time for a little break in one of the tea rooms or cafés in Melrose. There is a wide variety of lovely little shops along the main road and also lots of places for a cup of tea or coffee.

05/11/2019