Sir Walter Scott, novelist, poet, playwright and historian, was born in Edinburgh in 1771. To aid his recovery from a childhood bout of polio, he was sent to stay with his grandparents on their farm at Sandyknowe near Smailhom Tower in the Scottish Borders. It was here that the young Scott heard tales and ballads of the Borders, told to him by his aunt and grandparents, many of which were to inform his later work.
By the early 1800s Scott was a best selling author. His most famous works include the epic poem, The Lady of the Lake and the Waverley series of historical novels.
Around 1812 Scott bought a little farmhouse with a steading and 110 acres of land nicknamed Clarteyhole for 4000 guineas from the minister of Galashiels. As the land had once belonged to the monks of Melrose and a ford below the house had been used by the monks, he changed the name to Abbotsford. Over time, the ongoing success of his writings enabled him to enlarge the house.
Scott died at Abbotsford in 1832, and is buried at nearby Dryburgh Abbey.
Today the house is open to the public and it is a fascinating place to visit. Not only does it sit in a simply beautiful spot overlooking Scott’s beloved River Tweed, but it remains just as it was in Scott’s day. An avid collector, the house is filled with his antiques, objets d’art, weapons, suits of armour, and a fine library… We highly recommend a visit to Abbotsford, followed by a stroll through the elegant gardens and down to the river – a fine way to spend an afternoon in the Scottish Borders.
Related posts
The Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides looking so peaceful and picturesque in the winter sun today! There are various suggestions as to where the island’s name came from, but one suggestion is from Old Norse meaning ‘bare island’. Kisimul Castle, which sits on a small rocky outcrop in See More
Gorgeous light today. View to the hills over Peebles in the Scottish Borders with the town cemetery and St Andrew’s Tower. The tower is all that remains of St Andrew’s Church, consecrated in 1195 and built on the site of a series of earlier churches likely dating back to the See More