Tweedbank

Tweedbank
Tweedbank
	The man-made Gunknowe Loch, Tweedbank
	Tweedbank Location within the Scottish Borders
Population	2,020 (mid-2020 est.)
OS grid reference	NT519347
• Edinburgh	29 mi (47 km)
• London	303 mi (488 km)
Council area	Scottish Borders ;
Lieutenancy area	Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale ;
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Galashiels
Postcode district	TD1
Dialling code	01896
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk ;
Scottish Parliament	Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale ;
	List of places UK Scotland 55°36′11″N2°46′01″W / 55.603056°N 2.766944°W

Last updated January 29, 2024

Tweedbank is a large village south-east of Galashiels in the Scottish Borders. It is part of the county of Roxburghshire. It is an outer suburb or satellite development of Galashiels, on the other (eastern) side of the River Tweed. The population of Tweedbank at the latest census is 2,101.^[2]

Geography

Tweedbank, as the name suggests, sits adjacent to the River Tweed, and approximately 500 metres (550 yd) down river from Abbotsford House, the historic home of Sir Walter Scott. Tweedbank has a pond known as Gunknowe Loch, a small shop, and a railway station.

History

The settlement was started in the early 1970s on the land of a farm whose original house still stands (serving as a boarding cattery) adjacent to the community centre (known locally as 'The Barns'). The original settlement was built by Scottish Special Housing and included the streets of Neidpath Court, Blakehope Court, Hareshaw Bank, Stobshaw Place, Stobshaw Terrace and Haining Drive. In the 1980s Bett Housing (later to be taken over by Lema Homes) began building on the site at the entry of Tweedbank from Galashiels; this estate included the streets Abbotslea, Riverside Drive, Abbotsferry Road, Lowood Park, Ladymoss and Heathery Rigg. To locals this area was often known as 'the Betts'.

The 1990s saw two developments by Eildon Housing Association, namely Jura Drive and Craw Wood, with private housing being built around Tweedbank View and Tweedbank Drive. The final development in the 2000s was constructed by Barratt Homes in the area around Weavers Linn, built on the former Abbotsford to Lowood road (later a footpath).

Before the advent of the new town of Tweedbank, the area was occupied by the farms of Tweedbank and Bridgend Mains .^[3] The new housing estate lies in the civil parish of Melrose in the former county of Roxburghshire.^[4]

Education, sport and landmarks

The original primary school near the loch was a small school of fewer than 100 pupils and composite classes. In 1996 this changed, due to a slightly increasing population, and the school was now able to teach students in separate classrooms organised by their year of schooling. In the early 2000s the school expanded due to a significant increase in the local population.

In addition to residential housing and the Primary School, Tweedbank also boasts an all weather sports complex, an Astroturf football and hockey pitch, an indoor bowling club, a large children's all-weather play area, and the Gun Knowe Loch, which is actually a man-made lake. The loch is popular with locals due to its abundance of swans and ducks. Amenities located next to the Gun Knowe Loch include a local shop, a hairdressers, and the bar/restaurant Hergés on the Loch, which has outdoor seating available in the summer. Government offices for Agriculture & Fisheries and the Scottish Public Pensions Agency can also be found within Tweedbank.

Tweedbank is the site of the biggest industrial estate in the region.

Culture

Each year in May, the village celebrates a week-long 'Tweedbank Fair' in which a local 'Tweedbank Lad and Lass' (together with two attendants each) are appointed from members of the school's Primary Seven class.

Transport

The village is served by Tweedbank railway station, the terminus of the Borders Railway that runs between the Central Borders and Edinburgh. Trains run half-hourly on weekdays, and hourly in evenings and at weekends.^[5]

Tweedbank Drive is the main thoroughfare through the village, leading from Galashiels towards Melrose, with a number of roads adjoining. Driving eastwards, on the left adjacent firstly is Abbotsferry Road. The next turn off is on the right-hand side, Weavers Linn leading to The Beeches. Other roads leading from the main thoroughfare are Cotgreen Road, Honeylees Drive, Essenside Drive, Jura Drive and Craw Wood.

Related Research Articles

Abbotsford is a historic country house in the Scottish Borders, near Galashiels, on the south bank of the River Tweed. Now open to the public, it was built as the residence of historical novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott between 1817 and 1825. It is a Category A Listed Building and the estate is listed in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.

Hawick is a town in the Scottish Borders council area and historic county of Roxburghshire in the east Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is 10 miles (16.1 km) south-west of Jedburgh and 8.9 miles (14.3 km) south-south-east of Selkirk. It is one of the furthest towns from the sea in Scotland, in the heart of Teviotdale, and is the biggest town in Roxburghshire. The town is at the confluence of the Slitrig Water with the River Teviot.

The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, and East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west, South Lanarkshire to the west, and the English ceremonial counties of Cumbria and Northumberland to the south. The largest settlement is Galashiels, and the administrative centre is Newtown St Boswells.

The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, Scots: Watter o Tweid, Welsh: Tuedd), is a river 97 miles (156 km) long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the River Tweed. The Tweed is one of the great salmon rivers of Britain and the only river in England where an Environment Agency rod licence is not required for angling. The river generates a large income for the local borders region, attracting anglers from all around the world.

Melrose is a town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders, historically in Roxburghshire. It lies within the Eildon committee area of Scottish Borders Council.

Galashiels is a town in the Scottish Borders with a population of around 12,600. Its name is often colloquially shortened to "Gala". The town is a major commercial centre for the Borders region with extensive history in the textile industry. Galashiels is the location of Heriot-Watt University's School of Textiles and Design.

Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the northwest, and Berwickshire to the north. To the southwest it borders Cumberland and to the southeast Northumberland, both in England.

Selkirkshire or the County of Selkirk is a historic county and registration county of Scotland. It borders Peeblesshire to the west, Midlothian to the north, Roxburghshire to the east, and Dumfriesshire to the south. It derives its name from its county town, the royal burgh of Selkirk. The county was historically also known as Ettrick Forest.

Ettrick and Lauderdale was one of four local government districts in the Borders region of Scotland as well as a lieutenancy area from 1975 to 1996.

Coldingham is a village and parish in Scottish Borders, on Scotland's southeast coastline, north of Eyemouth.

Denholm is a small village located between Jedburgh and Hawick in the Scottish Borders region of Scotland, UK. The estimated population of Denholm is 600. There is a village green in the centre. It lies in the valley of the River Teviot. Denholm is a Conservation Area listed as 'a planned village as opposed to the traditional unplanned or organic form of village usually found in Roxburghshire.'

Boleside is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, on the B7060, south of Galashiels. It is very close to the place where the Ettrick Water joins the River Tweed.

Bedrule is a hamlet and civil parish in the historic county of Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. The hamlet lies on the east side of the Rule Water, which gave the village its name, about 4 miles west of Jedburgh. It lies south of the A698 between Hawick and Jedburgh. Other local place-names based on the river include Hallrule, Abbotrule, Ruletownhead and Spittal-on-Rule. Larger settlements include Bonchester Bridge and Denholm, as well as Hawick and Jedburgh.

Caddonfoot is a village on the River Tweed, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, on the A707, near Galashiels.

Darnick is a village near Melrose in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former Roxburghshire. The name was first recorded in 1124, and has changed from Dernewic, Dernwick and Darnwick to the present Darnick. Darnick Tower was built in c. 1425, and another tower house, Fisher's Tower, is still recognisable by its remains.

Cavers is a parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former county of Roxburghshire, south and east of Hawick. The largest village in the parish is Denholm.

The Borders Railway connects the city of Edinburgh with Galashiels and Tweedbank in the Scottish Borders. The railway follows most of the alignment of the northern part of the Waverley Route, a former double-track line in southern Scotland and northern England that ran between Edinburgh and Carlisle. That line was controversially closed in 1969, as part of the Beeching cuts, leaving the Borders region without any access to the National Rail network. Following the closure, a campaign to revive the Waverley Route emerged. Discussion on reopening the northern part of the line came to a head during the early 2000s. Following deliberations in the Scottish Parliament, the Waverley Railway (Scotland) Act 2006 received royal assent in June 2006. The project was renamed the "Borders Railway" in August 2008, and building works began in November 2012. Passenger service on the line began on 6 September 2015, whilst an official opening by Queen Elizabeth II took place on 9 September.

Mertoun is a parish in the south-west of the historic county of Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. Together with the parish of Maxton, Roxburghshire it forms the Maxton and Mertoun Community Council area. It was included in the former Ettrick and Lauderdale District of Borders Region, by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, from 1975 to 1996.

Megget is a former chapelry or parish containing the valley of Megget Water, now forming the westernmost part of the parish of Yarrow, Selkirkshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. The centre of the valley is 19 miles west of Selkirk.

References

↑ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
↑ Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usually Resident Population, publ. by National Records of Scotland. Web site www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk - retrieved Oct 2016. See “Standard Outputs”, Table KS101SC, Area type: Output Area. Selecting the 16 Output Areas covering Tweedbank (east of the Tweed) on the map provided i.e. Output areas in the range S00095363-70 and S00095787-94
↑ Ordnance Survey map 6 in. to 1 mile: Selkirkshire Sheet VIII.NW & NE, Surveyed: 1897, Published: 1900
↑ Canmore website entry for Tweedbank: canmore.org.uk/site/86457 - website of the archeological inventory of Historic Environment Scotland
↑ Doe, Barry (27 May – 9 June 2015). "The worst National Rail timetable ever?". RAIL (775): 75.

External links

Tweedbank Community Council

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[1] "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.

[OutputArea-2] Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usually Resident Population, publ. by National Records of Scotland. Web site www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk - retrieved Oct 2016. See “Standard Outputs”, Table KS101SC, Area type: Output Area. Selecting the 16 Output Areas covering Tweedbank (east of the Tweed) on the map provided i.e. Output areas in the range S00095363-70 and S00095787-94

[OS6inchmap-3] Ordnance Survey map 6 in. to 1 mile: Selkirkshire Sheet VIII.NW & NE, Surveyed: 1897, Published: 1900

[canmore-4] Canmore website entry for Tweedbank: canmore.org.uk/site/86457 - website of the archeological inventory of Historic Environment Scotland

[5] Doe, Barry (27 May – 9 June 2015). "The worst National Rail timetable ever?". RAIL (775): 75.

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