Kelso

Scotland > South of Scotland > Roxburghshire > Kelso

Situated on the banks of the River Tweed and the Teviot, on the A699, 11 miles from Jedburgh.

Kelso is a good place to use as a base for exploring the Borders. With the town being only a few miles from the English border it has meant history in and around the town has been more than troubled! It was fought over from the 13th to 16th centuries during the numerous wars with England.

The town was described by Sir Walter Scott as "the most beautiful, if not the most romantic village in Scotland", to date it has managed to keep the feeling and ambience Sir Walter so eloquently evoked. Large enough to have all the amenities, but not too large to overwhelm you.

Protected by the Lammermuir Hills and the Cheviots, the town lies in one of the most fertile valleys in Roxburghshire. The spacious cobbled town square is bounded by 18th & 19th century buildings.

Near to the town centre lies the ruins of Kelso Abbey - when it was built in the 12th century it was the largest in the Borders.

To the west of the town lies the magnificent Floors Castle, home to the Dukes of Roxburghe which sits on a natural terrace overlooking the beautiful River Tweed faciing the Cheviot Hills. It lies on the opposite river bank to Roxburgh Castle, once the strongest fortress along the former march land with England.

In 1721, William Adam was commissioned by the 1st Duke of Roxburghe to make additions to the eastern end of an existing tower-house to create a plain, but symmetrical, Georgian country house.

Later the leading architect in Edinburgh, William Playfair was engaged to remodel the building between 1837 and 1847. He drew his inspiration for Floors from the highly ornamented picturesque style of Heriot's Hospital in Edinburgh. The result is a romantic fairytale castle with its roofscape of turrets, pinnacles and cupolas which bewitch and beguile modern visitors from all over the world today.

The grounds have been expertly tended and offer just about everything you would expect from a castle of such stature. One highlight is the Walled Garden is tucked away to the west of the castle. Here, Queen Victoria took tea during her visit in 1867. Many of the same great gardening traditions remain and flowers are still cut for the main house from the packed herbaceous borders. Ornamental borders also co-exist alongside soft fruit and vegetable beds, surrounding the peach glass house.

The most remarkable feature of the garden are the original Victorian iron poles, dripping with huge swags of crimson American pillar rambling roses and purple clematis. Beneath the tunnel of colour and scent blow great swathes of grasses, lupins, geraniums, campanulas and euphorbias, creating a real colour palette.

The house is still home to the 10th Duke of Roxburghe and the house and gardens are open to the public.