Paxton House and Berwick-upon-Tweed

65 Comments
Welcome to England

Because of the way the border runs, when we travelled from our holiday home in Lower Burnmouth to Paxton House we crossed into England and back into Scotland again. Here I am on the way down crossing into the country, and indeed the county (Northumberland), of my birth.

Paxton House
Paxton House
Paxton House

Paxton House was designed by John and James Adam in 1758 and built between then and 1766. The National Gallery of Scotland describes it as “perhaps the finest example of an eighteenth-century Palladian country house in Britain”. It has extensive interiors (c1773) by Robert Adam, as well as furniture by Thomas Chippendale. In 1811, the Edinburgh architect Robert Reid added the largest purpose-built picture gallery in a Scottish country house which today contains paintings from the National Galleries. Visiting is by guided tour only and no photography is allowed.

However, there is plenty to photograph outside with 80 acres of grounds, gardens, riverside and woodland.

Paxton House grounds
Paxton House grounds
Paxton House grounds
Paxton House grounds
Paxton House grounds
Paxton House grounds
Paxton House grounds

The engineer enjoyed visiting the old waterworks.

I preferred the children’s Fairy Trail …

Paxton House Fairy Trail
Paxton House Fairy Trail

… and the sculpture by Julia Hilton – Entrances, inspired by the stages of an opening bud.

Entrances by Julia Hilton
Entrances by Julia Hilton

Paxton has a good café in the old stables which we used for morning coffee and lunch. When we had exhausted its delights we decided to stop off in the Northumbrian town of Berwick-upon-Tweed on the way back to Burnmouth. We liked the sign on the wall of the carpark, showing that it had originally been the cattle market, and this rather less than pleasant street name.

Old cattle market
Street sign

Berwick was founded by Anglo-Saxons and for hundreds of years was affected by border wars between the Kingdoms of England and Scotland. Possession of Berwick changed hands several times until 1482 when Richard of Gloucester retook it for England. It’s a traditional market town and also has some notable architectural features, in particular its medieval town walls, its Georgian Town Hall, its Elizabethan ramparts, and Britain’s earliest barracks buildings, which Nicholas Hawksmoor built (1717–21) for the Board of Ordnance. We set off to walk the walls and ramparts. Here are some highlights.

Bridges over the Tweed
On the town walls
On the town walls
Crooked door
18C Guard House
On the town walls
Old whaling house
Harbour
On the town walls
Snake bench
Snake bench
On the town walls
House with crest
Crest
House with bust
Bust
On the town walls
Harbour
Barracks
Ramparts
Town centre from Scots Gate
Bridges over the Tweed
Bridges over the Tweed

Part way round, we spotted this lovely little car. Such a pretty colour – and two days later we would spot it again.

Nissan Figaro
Nissan Figaro

Having stopped at the English border on the way out, we had to stop on the other side of the road as we returned. Welcome back to Scotland!

Welcome back to Scotland
Welcome back to Scotland

 

England, Scotland, UK , ,

65 Comments »

  1. Ah, so those are bears on the cattle market sign. I was puzzling over them thinking they were big dogs (definitely not cows). What a beautiful along the the old city walls.

    Jude

    Like

  2. Thanks for the tour round the beautiful grounds of Paxton House – I would have loved the fairy trail too! Have never been to Berwick on Tweed – it looks a charming and pretty place and so peaceful though obviously this wasn’t always the case!

    Like

  4. Great post and brings back such memories of Berwick which we visited last year. Walked the walls right round the city and had a fabulous day exploring. Interesting place crammed full of history.

    Like

  6. I love the interiors in Osterley House, which Robert Adam designed (that Etrsucan room!), so I bet the interiors here were gorgeous as well, even though you couldn’t photograph them.
    Even with my butterfly phobia, I think I would have preferred the children’s trail too (I’m just about ok with fake wings, it’s just the real thing that really freaks me out!).

    Like

  9. Hi Anabel – pity about no photos in the house … I’d love to see the art works. But a fascinating garden; while your tour of Berwick is very eye catching .. .is it a snake or a dragon … the tail looks dragon like?! Yes that colour for a car is delightful … thanks – stay safe – Hilary

    Like

  10. Ooh, fairy trail! Now you’re speaking my language.

    Geography and borders are a bit arbitary. Sometimes when we’re driving to somewhere in Manchester, the quickest route actually involves going through Salford, a whole different city (albeit only separated by the river Irwell).

    Like

  11. Everything is super charming as usual. I rather liked the old water works myself. You didn’t mention it, but I’m betting you can tell me why the cattle market sign has two bears on it.

    Like

  12. Well, that brought back some memories. In the 1990s I worked for a waste management company as a Regional Manager. One of my contracts was Berwick and I used to make as many excuses as I could to visit.

    The contract included street cleaning on Holy Island and because of the tides it was impossible to check that the street cleaner there was doing all of his contracted hours.

    Like

  13. Such lovely places!
    Well, having visited Palladio’s famous villas (I live in the same territory, Veneto) I can say that Paxton House is indeed as palladian as it gets 😉
    Loved the bridge on the Tweed.

    Like

  15. Hi Anabel, You remind me how many names and buildings in Victoria (my city) have English origins. Like you say, plenty to photograph outside. The Paxton House grounds are beautiful! You also remind me how my granddaughters make Fairy Gardens. You are exploring in the actual Fairy Gardens.🙂 Interesting post and great photos!

    Like

  17. We visited Berwick, getting on for 10 years ago, I reckon. I remember the fortifications and the links with Lowry – and coming back to the car to find a parking ticket on the windscreen even though I’d paid for pay and display parking (the ticket had fallen off my windscreen due to inferior adhesive). Managed to get a (very begrudging) let off after writing in to appeal.

    Like

  19. Virtual tours are becoming the norm these days but they are not always as interesting as yours. Was that a sort of lotus flower in the second from top set of pix? It’s right beneath the hydrangea and it looks like a water plant but not like a lotus, yet I’ve never seen anything like it before.
    Like you, I like that little green car, what a pretty shade, just my style if I were still allowed to drive!

    Like

    • Thank you Mari! I loved the car, but don’t think I’d get my Tesco shop in the boot, especially these days when I am shopping for three households! As for flowers, I rarely label then because I rarely know. Perhaps someone clever like Jude will read your question and help us out!

      Like