Scotland

Paxton House is a Georgian stately home open to the public at the village of Paxton, Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders. Visitors can tour the house and grounds, stay in their holiday accommodation or caravan park or hire the venue for a party or wedding.

*Paxton House viewed from the opposite bank of the River Tweed. Photo taken during winter.*

The house was built from 1758 onwards for Patrick Home of Billie in a failed effort to tempt his Prussian sweetheart to marry him. He then sold the property to his cousin, Ninian Home, a sugar plantation owner in the West Indies.

I visited Paxton House yesterday. Since we had our dog with us we were unable to see the grand interior of the house (save that for another day) so we confined our visit to the gardens and grounds. There is a small formal garden, an adventure playground, an historic water wheel, bird viewing hides and a rambling riverside walk. Boat trips can also be arranged.

Netting salmon on the river Tweed dates back centuries. Paxton House is one of the last remaining netting stations on the river Tweed and still uses the traditional method of fishing using a coble or small rowing boat to drop a net in a semi-circle which is then pulled in by hand. Catches are not what they were and nowadays any salmon caught are tagged and released back into the river.

In the days before refrigeration salmon caught in the River Tweed could be stored in this naturally cool bunker for a few days before being sold in nearby Berwick.

From Paxton House there is a footpath to the Union Chain Bridge half a mile away.

The Union Chain Bridge is the world’s oldest vehicular suspension bridge. Located five miles from Berwick-Upon-Tweed, it spans the River Tweed and connects Scotland with England. It was opened in 1820 and designed by Samuel Brown, a naval captain and self-taught engineer. Its revolutionary eye-bar wrought iron chain technique inspired later suspension bridges across the world, including the Menai Suspension Bridge which opened five years later.

The bridge was improved and strengthened in 1902-3 but by the time of its bicentenary in 2020 it was in urgent need of repair. With the help of a large dollop of Lottery funding, a project was undertaken to completely restore the bridge. I took the above photo in December 2020 when they were dismantling the bridge and the below photo, taken in January 2022, shows the span completely removed. Work was completed recently and the bridge reopened in April this year.

*Union Chain Bridge looking spick and span after restoration.*

The white plinth above the archway is decorated with the thistle of Scotland and the red rose of England and is inscribed Vis Unita Fortior 1820, which can be translated as Union is Strength (The Scottish National Party might disagree)!

*The masonry tower at the English side of the bridge used to house a toll gate. Tolls were charged until 1883.*

Quirky fact: Due to a curve in the River Tweed at this point, the English end of the bridge is further north than the Scottish end, the opposite of what you would expect.

Location of Paxton House and Union Chain Bridge

If you are interested in visiting Paxton House or hiring their venue you can find details of opening hours and ticket prices on their website.

This St Abb’s Head Circular Walk is an enjoyable 3.75 mile hike (6km) along a spectacular stretch of Berwickshire coastline. It is a fairly easy walk but with a few ups and downs. Sheer cliff edges in places so children and pets need to be guided accordingly.

The pretty fishing village of St Abbs is in the background. As you can see, the weather was perfect during our visit in June 2021.

You can view the map and details of the route on outdooractive’s website:

St Abb’s Head National Nature Reserve is famous for its seabirds, wildflowers, butterflies and amazing coastal scenery.

Screeching seabird colonies have stained the cliffside with their guano deposits.

Guillemots, kittiwakes, razorbills, fulmars, shags, herring gulls and puffins are among the types of sea birds spotted by birders here.

Rugged coastline. The clear waters are popular with scuba divers.

The lighthouse on St Abb’s Head was completed in 1862 and flashes every 10 seconds to prevent shipwrecks such as the ‘Martello’ which sank on Carr’s Rock in 1857. It is monitored remotely.

When the lighthouse was automated, the Lighthouse Keepers’ Cottages were sold off and are now available as holiday rentals if you fancy a break with a wonderful clifftop view.