Bonchester Bridge
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Bonchester Bridge ( Scots ''Binster Brig'') is a
village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
in Roxburghshire, within the Scottish Borders area of
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
, lying on the Rule Water, six miles away from the
market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
of
Hawick Hawick ( ; sco, Haaick; gd, Hamhaig) is a town in the Scottish Borders council area and historic county of Roxburghshire in the east Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-south-east of Selkirk. It is one ...
.


History

The name of the town is said to be Roman being devised from the term "Bona Castra" meaning "good camp" and on nearby Bonchester Hill to the east of the village, it is topped by a
hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
. In 1701 the town's coaching inn "The Horse and Hound" was opened, although the building there today dates from rebuilding over 100 years later by James Chisholme. The bridge in the name dates from the 19th century when a toll road was constructed from the pass over the Cheviots on the England/Scotland border at Carter Bar and the market town of Hawick which is six miles away. At the turn on the 19th century James Pearson Alison designed nearby Jedburgh Town Hall and the William Laidlaw Memorial Hall for Bonchester Bridge. It was a gift to Bonchester Bridge from his father Sir
Robert Laidlaw Robert Alexander Crookston Laidlaw (8 September 1885 – 12 March 1971) was a New Zealand businessman who founded the Farmers (department store), Farmers Trading Company, one of the largest department store chains in New Zealand. He was also a C ...
. During the second world war, Hallrule Hall of Bonchester Bridge became the temporary home of
St George's School, Edinburgh St George's School is an independent girls' school situated in the Ravelston district of Edinburgh, Scotland, which was rated 'Excellent' by Education Scotland in its most recent inspection. In 2018 the school celebrated the 130th anniversary o ...
from 1939 to 1942. The memorial hall is managed locally, seats 120 people, and it was renovated in 2000.


Today

In 2010 the Bonchester Bridge community formed Bonchester Brass, the village brass band, to serve its annual civic, religious and historical events. Bonchester Bridge was home to Hobkirk Primary School, but it closed in 2015 when its student roll fell to zero. Bonchester Bridge Caravan Park re-opened in 2022 after almost two decades of being derelict. "Bonnie Park" as it is affectionately known offers hard standing pitches for trailertents, motorhomes, touring caravans and also a tent field beside the Rule Waters river that runs alongside The Jersey cow's milk Protected designation of origin
Bonchester cheese Bonchester cheese is a soft Scottish cheese, made from unpasteurized Jersey cows' milk. It is produced at Bonchester Bridge, Roxburghshire. During production, the cheese develops a white rind. Its production in Europe is regulated under prot ...
takes its name from the village.


See also

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List of places in the Scottish Borders ''Map of places in the Scottish Borders compiled from this list'':See the list of places in Scotland for places in other counties. This list of places in the Scottish Borders includes towns, villages, hamlets, castles, golf courses, historic ...


References


External links


RCAHMS: Earthworks at Bonchester Hill
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SCRAN Images of Bonchester BridgeWilliam Laidlaw Community Hall in Bonchester BridgeThe Horse and Hound Country InnBonchester Bridge Weather Station
{{authority control Villages in the Scottish Borders www.bonchesterbridge.co.uk