Spinning Tales

April 6, 2023--Darla and Robin Elliot, Andrew Elliot Mill, Selkirk

Our 2023 excursion the The Borders over Easter included what would prove to be an extensive and rather interesting tour of the Andrew Elliot Mill in Selkirk.  Our mill guide was none other than Robin Elliot, son of Andrew Elliot, the company's founder.  Robin was more than generous with his time.  

We should start with the fact that Robin lives in Stowe, Scotland on the upper reaches of Gala Water, some 15 to 20 miles from his mill in Selkirk.  Stowe is about 8 or 10 miles out from Galashiels where we took accommodations (at Kingsknowes) on this part of our Borders tour.  

April 6, 2023--Andrew Elliot Mill (hoop loom?)

What this meant is that Robin's drive over to Selkirk from Stowe was greater than our own from Kingsknowes.  So he was more than gracious to agree to meet us in Selkirk and show us around the mill. 

Prior to our Easter 2023 sojourn, we had contacted Robin by email.  On an off chance that we could tour the historic mill, we asked.  

Surprisingly, he agreed, opening the mill on his day off no less.  We indicated in the email string that we would certainly be interested in purchasing woolen fabrics while at the mill.  (We had similarly done this in 2017 on Islay at the Islay Woollen Mill.)  Even so, the only thing Robin requested of us was confirmation.  That was understandable, as he sought to ward off any no-show, given he resides at some distance in Stowe.   

April 6, 2023--Darla with Robin Elliot, Andrew Elliot Mill

After an interesting and somewhat steep walk through Selkirk down to the mill from the town center, we easily spent over two hours at the mill as Robin spun tale upon tale about the old works and those who toiled in yesteryear...Robin's tales included, remarkably enough, a story on the Rolling Stones who were also visitors to Selkirk.  (Judging from their current looks and the wear and tear of rock & roll, the Stones could have visited about the same time the mill was first built.)  The mill began in 1838.

April 6, 2023--Andrew Elliot Mill, Selkirk

According to the Elliot website (https://www.elliot-weave.co.uk/history), the current Elliot Mill was formerly part of what was known as the Forest Mill.  Situated on Ettrick Water, a main tributary of River Tweed, this water powered the original "tweed" industry in Selkirk.  What remains today as Andrew Elliot Mill is a listed building, which means it is an historical site, akin to being on our own National Registry here in the States.  Elliot Mill is a working museum, but that depends on how one views it.  The mill still turns out tweeds and tartans.

April 6, 2023--Andrew Elliot Mill, Selkirk

One of the first mills in Selkirk, Forest Mill was built by George Roberts & Co.  The Roberts operated the mill until the late 1960s when their mill buildings were parted out and sold separately. 

In July 1965 Robin's father, Andrew, acquired the Forest Mill yarn store.  From there, he set up his family woolens business.  Andrew, a designer in the industry since about 1941, purchased various old mill machinery and by 1972 the Elliot Mill began business.  

April 6, 2023--Robin Elliot, proprietor Andrew Elliot Mill

For his part, Robin attended the Scottish College of Textiles in Galashiels, and joined the family firm in the mid 1990s.  Andrew passed in 2009, and Robin took the historic mill into the online marketing age, so to speak, in 2019.  Put another way, that online presence was only about three years before we first contacted him by email.    

 

April 6, 2023--Andrew Elliot Mill, Selkirk

As to the historical, much of the machinery in Elliot Mill is irreplaceable...in the literal sense.  They don't make it anymore.  Though still operating, a significant part of the machinery in the Selkirk mill dates to the Victorian era, back when the global trade in woolen textiles sustained a large measure of the entire British economy.  

April 6, 2023--Small loom, Andrew Elliot Mill, Selkirk

 

The historical equipment in Andrew Elliot Mill dates from the beginning of the industrial age, doing what it's been doing for some 150 years or so.  But how long it will continue is unknown.  

In that sense, it's much like the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft.  The guys who engineered it have long since passed.  And those few who know all the ins and outs have dwindled to a mere handful of knowledgeable workers.  Rolling Stones and all. 

 

April 6, 2023--Andrew Elliot Mill, Selkirk

There are other examples of working museum mills.  Mentioned above, historically in the same boat would be the Islay Woollen Mill on the Isle of Islay.  It too uses ancient equipment that is for all practical purposes irreplaceable.  If something breaks beyond repair, that part must be uniquely machined new, as a one-off.  That, of course, can approach prohibitive costs.  For that reason, one will see various chains and cogs here and there about the mill.  Using salvage parts as best and as long as possible.

April 6, 2023--mechanical "computer" Andrew Elliot Mill

Perhaps the most remarkable equipment in the Elliot mill was what can only be called an analog or mechanical computer.  It would be almost mind boggling to keep up with the yarns and patterns in the set cloth weave.  How the weavers even calculated all this mechanically is beyond me.  Not exactly my forte. 

April 6, 2023--Andrew Elliot Mill, Selkirk

Lastly, it should be noted that this mill equipment is well beyond modern day OSHA regulations (here in the States) or by whatever similar agency the UK employs to ensure worker safety standards.  Those industrial safety agencies weren't even a glimmer in their daddy's eye, so to speak, way back when.  Not for nothing, many industrial laborers back in the day sustained serious injuries or even death.  It was a different age.  With different social values on the lives of workers to be sure.

April 6, 2023--Andrew Elliot Mill, Selkirk

 

For us, we made ample use of the woolens in the crate or box racks offered for sale at Andrew Elliot Mill.  We purchased a number of woolens there.  Robin was also kind enough to pack and ship our purchase by international courier (I believe he used FedEx, but it could've been DHL).  This allowed us to continue our visit of the Borders, much of it on foot, and avoid the necessity of hauling woolens all over the south of Scotland for the last week of our 2023 sojourn there. 

One curiosity possibly worth noting...what we refer to as throw blankets are known as "rugs" in the UK.  Euphemistically stated, I admit to my ignorance.  Robin mentioned "rugs" as well as bolts of woven woolens were for sale.  

I kept looking around the crate shelves for something I might call a rug.  I was thinking along the line of hey, maybe we might want to replace some small rugs--which is about the extent of my interior decorating abilities (or interest).  Then it dawned on me...rugs meant throw blankets.  So, in fairness to the Rolling Stones, I too am a touch worse for the wear.  Like yeah.  I don't remember the 60s either.

April 6, 2-23--"Rugs"

             
       

Ye Olde "diversionary amorous attentions"

 

April 9, 2023--Circular stair at Etal Castle's Tower

Previously mentioned, after spending Easter at Etal and Ford Estate, we took a direct route back to Galashiels on the secondary B6350 road on River Tweed's south bank from Cornhill, passing through Carham and then crossing the bridge southwest of Kelso.  

Historically, the B6350 route was not always a "less important" road.  To the contrary.  In the medieval age, the English Borders citadel of Wark Castle once stood along the route.  Wark was a key linchpin in the network of strongholds in England's fortified defense of the Borders.

Against the counsel of his court, King James IV of Scotland declared an ill-advised war against Henry VIII of England on July 26, 1513.  Allegedly, James IV was "entangled" in the Auld Alliance with France.  And over the centuries since, the Auld Alliance has been foisted as cause.  How much was "entanglement" and how much was opportunistic choice is debatable.

April 9, 2023--Etal Castle tower

In any case, James IV crossed into the English Borders on August 22, 1513 at Cornhill with a force estimated at 60,000 (estimates vary widely from 35,000 to 100,000).  Despite where sources may land in the arguments on the number of troops, this was still one of the largest Scottish forces ever to invade England.  Roughly speaking, the Scottish army marched over the present day B6350 route to lay siege and finally wreck the important English stronghold at Wark Castle.  Its ruins, now merely a tall mound, are only 1.6 miles east of Carham on B6350. 

April 7, 2023--The Black Bull in Etal; our evening meals over Easter

At least as practiced by James IV, chivalry is a thing that we don't do much of these days.  Fortunately or unfortunately depends on one's view.  Among other things, such as basic human foibles, it was chivalry that "did in" James IV.  It imposed impractical if not impossible rules on warfare...to the detriment of those who attempted to follow them.  It was folly for a nostalgia of something that never truly existed in the first place.  War is not, nor has it ever been, "gentlemanly".  

April 9, 2023--Ok, so we're tourists!  Heatherslaw Light Railway at Etal

The Scots did not strictly gain Wark Castle by force of arms.  The castle was betrayed by an Englishman who deserted its garrison.  With Wark fully invested by the Scots, the traitor hoped to curry favor with the Scottish King.  The Scots indeed made use of the Englishman's statements and identified the weakest points of Wark's defense.  As for any favors, though, Scottish King James IV hanged the Englishman--for committing treason against the enemy English.  Such was the age of chivalry. Odd ways.

April 8, 2023--Medieval Twizel Bridge, still standing!

In another example of chivalry, on the morning of 9 September 1513, the Scots watched English columns marching over Twizel bridge to form up.  Scot cannoneers were forbidden to shell these columns, as James IV chivalrously believed that the English were too vulnerable in the column movement.  Catching an enemy in such a vulnerable state, one would think, was the whole objective of the exercise.  Regardless, Scot cannons did not open.  This chivalric war-fighting cost the Scots a nation.  Many thousands of lives.

April 8, 2023--River Till from Twizel Bridge; castle on ridgeline

Twizel Bridge, with its distinctive fluted arches, was completed in 1511.  Though no longer bearing vehicular traffic, remarkably the bridge is still in decent shape.  We walked over it in our brief hike to Twizel Castle.  As the only dry crossing of lower River Till, the bridge was strategically important.  Both armies used it in the Battle of Flodden Field.

April 8, 2023--Twizel Castle above River Till

Bragging rights from razing Wark Castle were short lived.  Less than three weeks later,  James IV, King of Scotland, would be killed along with the better part of his army at Branxton Moor (Flodden Field) late afternoon September 9, 1513, thus earning James IV the dubious sobriquet of being the last British monarch killed in combat.

April 8, 2023--Ford Castle gate

Ostensibly, the casus belli for James IV declaring war was England's invasion of France...but there are notable sub-clauses.  James IV's counselors did not want a war.  And, had James IV been pragmatic, he would have reasoned that the Treaty of Perpetual Peace (enacted by James IV upon oath before the altar at Glasgow Cathedral on December 10, 1503) was more or less holding for the past decade.  So invasion was not a wise choice. 

Besides, as part of that peace deal, James IV married Margaret Tudor, sister of England's King Henry VIII.  The so-called "Marriage of the Thistle and the Rose" at Holyrood (Edinburgh), August 8, 1503.  A 30-year old Scottish King and a 13-year-old English bride. 

April 8, 2023--Walls at Ford Castle

The marriage began producing heirs, which meant that only the future King Henry VIII and his successors (if he was to have any) stood between James IV and succession to the crowns of both Scotland and England.  And Henry VIII was failing to produce heirs.  Patience alone would have yielded James IV or his progeny mastery over the whole of Britain.  So, contrary to heroic portrayals, James IV was not exactly an unwitting haplessly entangled victim bound by the Auld Alliance.  

That excuse does not exonerate James IV.  He had a number of options short of a large-scale invasion.  Foremost, he could have kept his oath made before the altar in Glasgow--maintain the peace.  Chivalrous behavior, it seems, is highly selective.  Instead, he foisted the Auld Alliance and war.  "Auld" was an understatement.  A mutual assistance treaty dating back to 1295, the alliance was built upon shared interests of France and Scotland...as they may have been in 1295.  Respective interests were not necessarily the same 220 years later, when James IV declared war.  Europe had changed.  So had Scotland. 

April 8, 2023--Saint Michael and All Angels; Ford Estate

If anything, James IV was an opportunist.  Looking for any pretext to exercise the Auld Alliance and an invasion, the Scots claimed they sought to revenge the murder of Robert Kerr, Warden of the Scottish East March.  Kerr had been killed by a Northumbrian (John 'the bastard' Heron) in 1508.  Invading five years after the fact was, at best, a suspect and very delayed revenge, considering Sir William Heron, Lord of Ford Castle and half-brother of 'the bastard', was being held hostage in Fast Castle (a coastal fortress in Berwickshire) for the deeds of his kinsman...as was common justice in that age.  If you can't find the fugitive, jail his next of kin.  Sir William's absence from Ford Castle would play a large role in James IV's defeat at Flodden Field.

  

April 7, 2023--Church of St. Paul at Branxton received body of King James IV

Casting about for excuses to invade, James IV next claimed revenge for English privateer seizures of Scottish merchant ships.  In that day, piracy was de rigueur.  They all did it.  Lastly, James IV alleged he only received partial payment of Margaret's marriage dowry.  Thin gruel to justify war...having remained married for the past 12 years.

April 7, 2023--Branxton church

An aside, but lessons on foreign entanglements were well studied by our American Founding Fathers.  In his farewell address (September 19, 1796), President George Washington admonished Americans "to steer clear of permanent alliance with any portion of the foreign world."  

This is not to say that Washington sought to dishonor all existing international treaties.  To the contrary.  Washington qualified his comments, adding:  "...so far, I mean, as we are now at liberty to do it; for let me not be understood as capable of patronizing infidelity to existing engagements."  He made no call for isolation, as some now claim.  It was more an appeal to caution and wisdom.  

Following the sack of Wark and the chivalric hanging of the English deserter, the Scots made an about-face.  They marched back on the same B6350 route and laid siege, bombarding and finally capturing Norham Castle after five days.  

[Norham Castle will be discussed in a separate post.]

April 8, 2023--Norham Castle

After the prize of Norham was bagged on August 29, 1513, the Scots made another about-face and marched west to the River Till, seizing Twizel Castle (or what remained of it after it was wrecked in 1496 during Scotland's abortive support for a pretender to the English throne).  James IV next took Etal Castle and Ford Castle.  At this point, the invasion was more a large-scale border raid.  That is how the Scots may have perceived it...at their own peril.

When James IV arrived at Ford Castle, it was occupied only by Lady Elizabeth Heron and her daughter.  A fortuitous circumstance for James IV.  But not so much his army.  

James IV was a known womanizer.  Besides his legitimate children, he had numerous illegitimate with many mistresses.  Unlike nearby Etal, James IV did not sack Ford.  Without definitive proof, many have speculated that Lady Heron purposely engaged in "diversionary amorous attentions" with James IV...as did her daughter. 

Robert Lindsay of Pittscottie (Scottish chronicler, c. 1532-1580, about whom very little biographical information is known beyond his authorship of the Chronicles of Scotland) crudely called the dalliance between James IV and Lady Heron a "bout of stinking adultery and fornication".  Harsh words.  And also an opinion written perhaps 40 years or more after the events had unfolded.  Still, Lady Heron did have vested interests--she wanted to spare Ford Castle and get her hostage husband released.

April 7, 2023--View toward Scotland; St. Michael's; Ford Estate

Over the ensuing five centuries, many have speculated that Lady Heron was part of an elaborate English scheme to delay James IV.  If she was, it worked.  James did stay too long at Ford "dallying".   By the time he finally moved, the English had assembled their forces, were on the march and were nearly in position.   

Scottish accounts cast Lady Heron as a villainess and lay the defeat at Flodden Field entirely at her feet.  Yet, while she may have distracted or delayed James IV with "diversionary amorous attentions," she had far less to do with the outcome than did James IV himself.  Branxton Moor would have largely been avoided had James IV opened a cannonade upon Lord Surrey's English vanguard with its limbered artillery in tow as they crossed River Till on Twizel bridge the morning of September 9, 1513.  The English would have been caught dead to rights, one might say.

April 7, 2023--Farm at Flodden Field in burn where thousands of Scots perished

Instead, a misguided unrequited chivalry intervened and Scotland was lost with The Fluuers o the Forest.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some battles worth fighting

On Easter Monday, after having spent Easter weekend at Ford and Etal Estate in the English Borders, we headed back to Galashiels.  Our chief goal was to return the infamous Peugeot e-208 car hire to Enterprise and then board Borders Rail that afternoon/evening for a couple overnights in urban Edinburgh, before catching our transatlantic flight home.  Anything that could be tacked on this bare bone travel itinerary for Easter Monday was extra...within some tight constraints.  

https://whitleyworldtravel.blogspot.com/2023/08/theory-verus-practice-car-hire.html 

Previously mentioned, when we dropped off the e-208, it was nearly drained...the dashboard showed 29 miles of range remained.  In other words, about as much room for error as one wrong turn's worth of backtracking.  Skinny.  Worse was the fact that, being Easter Monday, many places were closed.  

Mindful that we needed to insure we had enough juice left to get the rented rig back to Galashiels precluded us from making detours that might push us past a literal point of no return.  Unfortunate.  We would have visited a couple more places in the Borders if we had had more range in the batteries. 

April 9, 2023 Gate; Ford Estate

We dispensed with any notion of a circuitous route back to Galashiels.  (After all, except for the depleted battery charge, we had a whole day of travel available.)  We resigned to take a secondary road (B6350) along the south bank of River Tweed from Cornhill-upon-Tweed to Kelso and then on to Galashiels.  The route, to be honest, was not entirely chosen due to our need to conserve distance.  The secondary route we took avoided traveling over the same "A roads" we had just driven on Good Friday, through Coldstream toward Flodden Field and our eventual accommodation at Ford Estate.  

Secondary "B roads" are not always the best direct routes.  Nor are they always in the best of shape. In this instance, however, B6350 was the most direct road and it was surprisingly in decent repair.  (Scotland's secondary roads often are not.)  Apparently, B6350 is a "belt around," a cutoff of sorts.  Running on the south bank, it avoids traffic bottles in Coldstream and crossing the Tweed bridge.  B6350 was certainly a step above typical B-roads. 

April 10, 2023--Carham (St. Cuthbert's) churchyard

The route was well chosen.  Scenic.  While traversing it, we made an unscheduled stop to walk at Carham.  A small village rarely found on most tourist radars, Carham is a quintessential Border village.  On the south side of River Tweed, Carham is in Northumbria, England.  North and directly across the river lies Birgham in The Borders, Scotland.  Here, the border is more or less a suggestion so to speak.  Not much difference between the sides.  For example, according to the 2011 United Kingdom Census, Carham holds England's greatest proportion of Scottish-born residents (at 33% of the local population).  

Watercolor by M.L.B. The Holme, Carham Sept 3, 1878

Before delving into Carham's historical importance, a few words on A and B roads might be warranted.  The Borders is in Zone 6 of U.K.'s road numbering scheme.  Thus, most roads in the Borders begin with 6; like B6350.  These are called "numbered distributor roads".  Once, perhaps 100 years ago, shorter numbered roads were allocated for the more important roads, whereas longer numbers (like B6350) were for the less.  They built more roads than they had shorter numbers, so the distinction is less important today. 

Main trunks are the "A roads" and, as expected, they carry heavier traffic as Class I roads, similar to state highways.  B-roads are generally Class II, similar to county roads.  The A-roads are fairly straight forward in terms of portside driving in mainland Scotland.  Not so the B roads.

April 10, 2023--River Tweed at Carham

First, bear in mind, road shoulders are not exactly the norm.  U.K. standardized maps make an important distinction in B-roads--their width.  Orange colored roads are "generally" over 4 meters wide.  Yellow roads are under 4 meters wide...if not considerably under.  Then there are Unclassified roads, "narrow roads with passing places".  These are supposed to be colored as red-dashed roads, being single tracks which may have pull outs to permit two way traffic.  To be honest, the Unclassified designation isn't applied nearly enough.  Roads to Flodden Field are prime examples.  Realistically, unimpeded two-way traffic is questionable, even though the roads to Flodden Field are mapped in yellow.  They shouldn't be.

Because a limited number of bridges cross the Tweed's course, traffic flow in this part of The Borders runs east-west, following River Tweed, the natural barrier separating the north (Scotland) from the south (England).  Regardless of whichever bank one decides to drive to return to Galashiels from Ford Estate, the distance was the same. So, we took B6350 and stopped at Carham.  

April 10, 2023--"The wee car park" at Carham

Carham was a free 'fer.  It met our tight distance requirement that we not travel too far afield on our return to Galashiels.  Check.  The diminutive car park at Carham (room for perhaps two vehicles...if they squeezed) was literally right on the rural secondary B-road--maybe five feet from what we call the fog line.  As such, the Carham stop added nothing to our mileage concerns.  Check.  

April 10, 2023--St. Cuthbert's viewed from the lower Holme

Given Carham's historical significance to Scotland's Borders, the lack of tourist interest in the village is surprising.  There is one upside to that...visitors to Carham have the place almost entirely to themselves.  The village church (Saint Cuthbert's) and the pastured grounds (The Holme) sloping down to the edge of River Tweed alone are worth a stop and walk.  While there well over an hour, we met one villager walking her dog by the river.  Another local was in the river's edge fly fishing.  And...one pesky village golden retriever trying to locate a gate to join its owner who was at a distance further up the Tweed--the dog walker reassured us that was all too common an event for the particular pooch in question.

April 10, 2023--Timeless Carham (compare to 1878 watercolor above)

The current church at Carham was built in 1798 to replace a former medieval structure.  But the church's presence is much older.  Some suggest St. Cuthbert himself built a church nearby (of wood construction). On the grassy Holme, undulations can be seen below the church tower to the banks of the Tweed.  These are assumed to be foundations of an earlier "black canon" monastery from the Middle Ages.  The site has yet to be archeologically excavated. 

Carham is said to be derived from an Old English place-name, with 'carr' meaning rock, and 'ham' meaning homestead.  Like everything else, that too is not without controversy.  And it has been argued for centuries.  Twelfth-century chronicler Richard of Hexham did not consider the name to be English, suggesting it was derived from the Cumbric word 'kair' which meant 'fortification'.  Perhaps.  But no fortification has been identified.  Nor has an ancient bridge which lent its name to Birgham in Scotland, directly across the Tweed from Carham.  On the other hand, a number of tall rocks do break the surface in the River Tweed, making Carham a lucrative and popular salmon fishing beat.  So, if unsure on the name, go with what is known..."Homestead at the rocks". 

The first written reference to Carham was from 670 AD, when it was granted to the Lindisfarne church by King Ecgfrith of Northumbria.  Before Northumbria was divested of its kingdom (by Scots, Vikings and finally the English) Northumbria's realm stretched from River Tees in England through Lothian to the gates of Edinburgh.  A significant part of that divestment took place in the pivotal battle fought at Carham in 1018 AD.  It ended in a decisive victory for the Scots, and Lothian was ceded to them.  The battle at Carham firmly fixed the border between England and Scotland as the center of River Tweed.  The border has been kept along this stretch of the Tweed for over 1000 years. 

Humans seem to be destined or condemned to repeat violence forever.  Throughout human history, from Cain and Abel to Bakhmut, Ukraine, violence has been omnipresent on every single page.  Doubtless, it may always be so. Yet paradoxically, some of those battles are worth fighting.  One such battle was at Carham, Northumberland on the south bank of River Tweed in 1018 as kingdoms were being formed.  River Tweed is now the divide between two nations--Scotland and England.  It has has not always been a border, even though "tweed" is taken from the Anglo-Saxon (Northumbrian) word for "boundary".  Only the future will tell if it remains so.

April 10, 2023--bench on River Tweed at Carham; Scotland opposite bank

  

Missed it in plain sight

As mentioned, Friday is "landing day," more or less consumed by travel connections that move us from the transatlantic gate at Glasgow--whether by bus, or train, or an internal commuter flight--to the vicinity of where we plan to start exploring.  Typically, on landing day we "go long" and then work our way back to Glasgow over our two week sojourns.  Landing day is not necessarily a complete "write off" since views from public transport are often interesting.  But still...it's a staging day.  Logistics we'll call it.

April 1, 2023--Castle Vale Park on the Tweed at Berwick

Our Friday evening arrival at Berwick Station aboard the LNER (London North East Rail) via Scotrail through Edinburgh Waverley had us packing part way across town to Sandgate, where our hotel room and a delayed dinner awaited us.  Tired and hungry.  With what remained of landing day, our objective was to walk to the hotel, find someplace to eat, and then recover the jet lag. 

April 1, 2023--View toward Town Hall from Marysgate, Berwick

Under an intermittent drizzle, our walk took us through Berwick's Elizabethan walls at Marysgate.  A neat architectural site, we resolved to explore it the next morning with more light, a little rest and, we hoped, less rain.  We did...but not necessarily with less rain.

April 1, 2023--Berwick at Marysgate and Jubilee Fountain

April 1, 2023--Berwick

Honestly it was surprising how quickly we reached Marysgate on foot from the station.  Not at all far.  In total, the walk from the station to our hotel was perhaps 8/10ths of a mile...a mere 15 to 20 minutes.  Even the damp weather was no big a deal considering we were on the coast of the North Sea in late March.  Nothing our parkas couldn't handle.

An aside but locals quip (or perhaps snipe) that Americans will take a taxi even to go only a block or two.  While the implication is laziness, actually the affinity of American tourists to take a cab may be due more to their not bothering with any advance map work.  

Perhaps it's a Scout thing with me, but personally:  Be Prepared.  It is also surprising how much trouble just keeping that motto can avoid...and maybe even save some cab fare that might be better invested in a pint.  

April 1, 2023--Berwick

 

Ignoring preliminary orientation work is not exactly the smartest way to "vay-cay".  For one thing, it makes you lost as soon as you land.  Berwick has its share of quirks and box canyon alleys being a city that sits on top of a medieval town plan.  Even just knowing the names of the main streets in advance can help prevent confusion.  

Here, the word "city" is also key, especially for rural bumpkins.  Cities have many residents, not all of whom are generous with their directions should you find yourself lost without a clue in an unfamiliar foreign cityscape.  Berwick is not Chicago, of course; but still.  

Keep in mind your pack is obvious.  So too is the omnipresent cell phone.  Photo taking in the attire of a foreign tourist...usually signals the possibility of carrying a good bit of local currency.  So, just saying.  Do your due diligence.  Research your maps before you get in a place where you don't want to be.    

April 1, 2023--Tyme Bar & Grill

We reached the hotel after our cross town walk from the train station without incident and considered an adventurist culinary option.  Several local eateries and pubs were near the hotel.  The temptation was to do the "sturm und drang" thing, pub-hop and sling pints.  "We have arrived!"...as if locals are interested in that.  

For simplicity's sake (and the fact we were quite beat at the tail end of "Landing Day") we opted to dine at the hotel.  It was the right decision.  A pint or two in a local pub the next evening (after catching some sleep) is usually more conducive to a better time anyhow.  Premier Inn (Tyme Bar & Grill) has a decent menu, reasonably priced, and generally well-prepared.  They also have a few drafts on tap...and at the end of those pints, it's only an elevator ride up to the room.  A low stress way to end "landing day". 

April 2, 2023Tyme Bar & Grill

In our walk from the rail station to Sandgate (which also helped orient us in Berwick), one landmark was of particular interest--the Elizabethan gate (Mary'sgate) and the Jubilee Fountain.  Walking, we were watching for it as a way marker of sorts, confirming our footsteps.

Jubilee Fountain was erected at Marysgate to honor Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee (60th anniversary of her monarchy).  Presented to Berwick June 20, 1897, the fountain is made of pink granite with bronze lion well heads.  By itself, Jubliee Fountain is worth a pause to view, to say nothing to its location at the Elizabethan fortifications and city gate (at Meg's Mount).   

April 1, 2023--Berwick Barracks Museum and Holy Trinity churchyard

A plaque states that the fountain was donated by Commander Francis Martin Norman, Royal Navy.  Commander Norman apparently was quite the public servant in Berwick.  Upon retiring from the Royal Navy, he went on to be the town's Sheriff, Mayor, Alderman.  He also established the Historic Monuments Committee, which was largely responsible for restoring Berwick's Elizabethan fortifications.  Present preservation of Berwick's historical walls and paths is thus owed in large measure to Norman.

April 1, 2023--Berwick at Marysgate bridge

The Jubilee Fountain is an example of our "missing it"...in plain sight.  We knew the fountain monument was there from our research.  What we missed was a key link to Berwick's history.  And because we missed it, we did not visit a site that we otherwise would have--namely, Holy Trinity Church.  One cannot see or know everything, of course.

April 1, 2023--Holy Trinity Church and churchyard, Berwick

The fountain's benefactor, Commander Norman, also had a memorial plaque at Holy Trinity Church in Berwick.  That was the link we missed.  Had we known (i.e. done a better job at researching), it is probable we would have connected that link and would have visited the interior of Holy Trinity Church.  For one reason, Holy Trinity was right on the walk path along Berwick's walls, and we were right there.

The church dates to 1641, when King Charles I allocated monies to replace Berwick's old medieval town church (c. 1190 A.D.).  The earlier medieval church in the current church grounds was pulled down after Holy Trinity was completed after 1652, from designs by the London stone mason John Young.  Holy Trinity was built from stone and timber pirated out of the ancient Berwick Castle (c. 1250 A.D.)

April 1, 2023--Berwick Castle ruin and Victorian rail bridge over Tweed

During the initial funding of the church, civil war broke out which pitted Charles I against the parliamentary armies of England and Scotland.  Charles I lost the war, and his head.

April 1, 2023--Berwick Walls path

Holy Trinity Church is a rare building.  One of only four significant churches built in the whole of Britain during the iconoclast Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate (Commonwealth) of England.  That alone makes Holy Trinity notable architecturally.  The Cromwellian regime, strongly puritanical, influenced British architecture.  Holy Trinity was no exception.  It was of simple design, to the point of being plain but with a mixture of Gothic and Classical styles.  So, also somewhat eclectic.  No ornamentation, no bell tower (the town hall bell summoned the people to church services).  Lacking a tower or spire, Holy Trinity seemed "boxish" and uninteresting, at least from our perspective above it on the Berwick wall path.  We did not walk down to visit it, even though we were right there.  That was our mistake.  The interior is said to be remarkable.  And perhaps to the chagrin of Mr. Cromwell, stained glass (Flemish 16th century) that had been sequestered by Charles I was added to the church apparently in a remodeling in the 1800s.  Anyhow, the moral is:  Be Prepared.  You will miss less.