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Peebles

Peebles lies at the confluence of the River Tweed, flowing east towards Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Eddleston Water flowing from the north, whose valley has long been an important communications route between Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders.

cross kirk peeblesSettlement in the area dates back thousands of years, as shown by the hill forts in the area and by the remains of a nearby Roman road. Some time after the Romans' brief stay, this section of the Tweed Valley was part of the Kingdom of Strathclyde, only finally becoming part of Scotland under Malcolm II in 1016.

The Cross kirk was founded 1261 and a monestery added in 1473. The church had been built on the spot where an ‘ancient and venerable’ cross had been discovered. It was demolished in 1783. Other churches in the town form a cluster overlooking the river towards the east end of the town. Most striking is the Leckie Memorial Church with its 146ft spire (1876).

mercat peeblesToday Peebles is an attractive and bustling town whose heart lies in its main shopping street, formed by High Street and Eastgate. This area was largely built in the second half of the 1500s, on a spur of land between the River Tweed and the Eddleston Water. Perhaps this was thought to be a more defensible site than the "Old Town" on the west side of the Eddleston Water which had been largely destroyed by the English in 1548.

A symbolic centre of a Scottish market town, is the Mercat (market) Cross. It is situated in Eastgate (formerly Cross Gate). It confirms the town’s former trading status. Here the public market was held, criminals were punished and the Town Drummer announced royal and other proclamations to the people of the Burgh. This last tradition is carried on in the Beltane Festival (June).

The Cross of Peebles is an unusual design. The capital of the octagonal stone column has rich carvings of the three fishes and the strawberries. These are taken from the Arms of Peebles and the family crest of the Fraser’s of Neidpath. In 1662 the four-faced stone sundial and metal wind vane were added to mark the restoration to the throne of Charles II.

peebles birds Set behind the High Street are the broad grassy and tree-line banks of the River Tweed. This is crossed by Tweed Bridge close to the Old Parish Church. It was the first stone bridge across the Tweed and originally built in 1426. Below Eastgate the River Tweed is crossed by the Priorsford Bridge, an iron suspension pedestrian bridge built in 1905 to replace an earlier one from 1817.

The quadrangle is found beyond the archway leading from the high street – in it surrounding the town’s war memorial, is well laid out colourful gardens, and….