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Peebles () is a town in the
Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, and East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west, South Lanarkshire to the we ...
, Scotland. It was historically a
royal burgh A royal burgh ( ) was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs. Most royal burghs were either created by ...
and the
county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...
of
Peeblesshire Peeblesshire (), the County of Peebles or Tweeddale is a Counties of Scotland, historic county of Scotland. Its county town is Peebles, and it borders Midlothian to the north, Selkirkshire to the east, Dumfriesshire to the south, and Lanarkshire ...
. According to the 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in June 2018 was 9,000.


History

Initially a
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 rura ...
, Peebles played a role in the woollen industry of the Borders during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Most mills had closed by the 1960s, although the last one remained open until 2015. The character of Peebles has changed; the town serves as home to many people who commute to work in
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, as well as being a popular
tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...
destination, especially in the summer. In the mid-to-late 19th century health tourism flourished, centring on
hydropathic establishment Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The ter ...
s, which over time morphed into a hotel format, with Peebles Hydro Hotel being one of the few survivors of that era. Notable buildings in the town include the
Old Parish Church of Peebles The Old Parish Church of Peebles is one of several Christian churches in Peebles, Borders, Scotland. It is a congregation of the Church of Scotland. Dedicated on 29 March 1887, it lies at the end of the High Street.Neidpath Castle Neidpath Castle is an L Plan Castle, L-plan rubble-built tower house, overlooking the River Tweed about west of Peebles in the Scottish Borders, Borders of Scotland. The castle is both a wedding venue and filming location and can be viewed by a ...
. Other local attractions include a museum and the Kailzie Gardens. Peebles has won multiple awards for the range of shops on its High Street.


Historic features and traditions

The oldest building in Peebles is the tower of St Andrew's Church. The church was founded in 1195. It was destroyed (along with many other Borders
abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...
s and priories) by the soldiers of
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
. The stones of the ruins were pilfered for many other local buildings leaving only the tower standing amongst the gravestones of the churchyard. Another ancient church in the town is the Cross Kirk, founded in 1261. Although now mainly ruins, the Cross Kirk plays a prominent part in the local festival. The annual local festival in Peebles is called the
Beltane Beltane () or ''Bealtaine'' () is the Gaels, Gaelic May Day festival, marking the beginning of summer. It is traditionally held on 1 May, or about midway between the March equinox, spring equinox and summer solstice. Historically, it was widely ...
, and involves (as with many Borders festivals) a
Common Riding A common riding is an Equestrianism, equestrian tradition mainly in the Scottish Borders in Scotland. Male and female riders ride out of the town and along its borders to commemorate the practice from 13th and 15th centuries where there were f ...
. The Beltane, proclaimed at the cross, culminates with the crowning of the Beltane Queen (a girl chosen from one of three local
primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
s) along with her court, including the likes of the First and Second Courtiers, Sword Bearer and Standard Bearer; on the steps in front of the parish church. The adult principal of the festival is the
Cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...
, a local young man chosen by the organizing committee on a basis of being considered worthy of representing the town, who then carries the town standard for a year. To the west of the town is
Neidpath Castle Neidpath Castle is an L Plan Castle, L-plan rubble-built tower house, overlooking the River Tweed about west of Peebles in the Scottish Borders, Borders of Scotland. The castle is both a wedding venue and filming location and can be viewed by a ...
, which can be reached on foot through Hay Lodge Park; the route has views of the castle. The castle is now closed to the public. On the south side of the High Street are the old
burgh A burgh ( ) is an Autonomy, autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots language, Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when David I of Scotland, King David I created ...
offices. These incorporate the town's library, art gallery, and local museum. The building occupied by these is called the
Chambers Institution The Chambers Institution is a municipal structure in the High Street in Peebles, Scotland. The structure, which was designed to accommodate a library, a museum, an art gallery and Peebles Burgh Hall, is a Category A listed building. History The ...
, being deeded to the town by William Chambers, a member of the Chambers publishing family who originated in the town. Chambers' house can be found on the oldest street in Peebles – Biggiesknowe. Peebles tolbooth, the civic centre of the medieval burgh, is the only medieval tolbooth site in Scotland to have been excavated by archaeologists. Peebles is no longer connected to the railway network. In years past, the
Symington, Biggar and Broughton Railway The Symington, Biggar and Broughton Railway was a railway company in southern Scotland. It built a line connecting Biggar, and later Peebles, to the main line railway at Symington. It was taken over by the Caledonian Railway in 1861, and was c ...
had lines that connected Peebles to Edinburgh and
Galashiels Galashiels (; , ) is a town in the Scottish Borders with a population of around 12,600. Its name is often colloquially shortened to "Gala". The town is a major commercial centre for the Borders region with extensive history in the textile in ...
, with a
goods station A goods station (also known as a goods yard or goods depot) or freight station is, in the widest sense, a railway station where, either exclusively or predominantly, goods (or freight), such as merchandise, parcels, and manufactured items, are lo ...
and
Peebles Peebles () is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was historically a royal burgh and the county town of Peeblesshire. According to the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in ...
and Peebles West stations. A connection to Edinburgh is maintained by Borders Buses service X62. Historically Peebles and the Scottish borders have been the location of many textile businesses. Still today, March Street Mills is the location of Robert Noble along with its sister company Replin Fabrics.


Coat of arms

The arms of the Royal Burgh of Peebles feature three
salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...
on a red field. The heraldic
blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...
is: ''Gules, three salmons counter-naiant in pale proper''. The motto is ''Contra Nando Incrementum'', Latin for "There is growth by swimming against the stream", referring to the annual migration of salmon up the
River Tweed The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is a river long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the River Tweed. The Tweed is one of the great salmon rivers ...
in order to breed. The one salmon facing forwards and two facing backwards represent the fact that for every salmon that goes up the river, two come back to the sea. The arms are very old, first appearing on the town's
mercat cross A mercat cross is the Scots language, Scots name for the market cross found frequently in Scotland, Scottish cities, towns and villages where historically the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by the monarch, a bishop or ...
, which was built sometime before 1320. Originally the colours were not standardised, the background variously appearing as blue, green or red. The last seems to have been most common, and it was red that was chosen when the arms were formally granted by
Lord Lyon The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new gran ...
in 1894, following a petition from the town clerk, William Buchan, who had previously received a letter from A. C. Fox-Davies questioning the burgh's right to use the arms. After the abolition of the old Scottish burghs in 1975, the arms became redundant. In 1988 they were regranted to the Royal Burgh of Peebles and District Community Council, who continue to use the arms today, with the addition of a community council's coronet. The traditional province of
Ångermanland Ångermanland ( or ) is a historical province (''landskap'') in the northern part of Sweden. It is bordered (clockwise from the north) by Swedish Lapland, Västerbotten, the Gulf of Bothnia, Medelpad and Jämtland. The name is derived from the ...
in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
also has a very similar coat of arms, but with a blue background.


Location

Peebles lies at the confluence of the
River Tweed The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is a river long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the River Tweed. The Tweed is one of the great salmon rivers ...
and Eddleston Water (locally called "the Cuddy"). The Tweed flows west to east, and the Eddleston flows from the north, turning to flow southwest before the confluence. This south-westerly turn demarcates a raised triangular piece of land, open to the east but contained by the rivers to the south and north. The name is generally accepted to come from the Brythonic ''pebyll'' tents, signifying a temporary settlement. From around 1570, the eastern side was defended by a town wall, which ran in an east-facing arc, through which the road to Glentress passed at the East Gate. The road passing through this gate, the Eastgate, is one of four gates in Peebles, the others being Northgate, Bridgegate (where the Eddleston Water was crossed to the north of town), and Ludgate (the western gate of the town), now called Young Street. At the junction of Eastgate and Northgate roads, where the Eastgate becomes High Street, is an ancient market cross. The present-day market is held in a car park adjacent to the site of the former railway station, at the north and south ends of which are the remains of the town wall. Peebles High Street runs parallel with the Tweed along the spine of a ridge, at the west end of which is the parish church.


Facilities

In 2014 Creative Scotland named Peebles the most creative place of its size in Scotland, presenting the town with a Creative Place Award and £100,000 to enhance arts events, festivals, and arts commissions. Most arts performances take place in the Eastgate Theatre on the High Street which has a year-round programme of music, drama, dance, talks, and classes for children and adults. The town also has four major annual festivals – the Beltane Festival, Peebles Arts Festival, Tweedlove Bike Festival, and Imaginarium. Peebles is a popular centre for walkers, cyclists, and horse riders. It is the eastern terminus of the John Buchan Way, a walking route which runs between Peebles and Broughton. The Cross Borders Drove Road, an route between
Hawick Hawick ( ; ; ) is a town in the Scottish Borders council areas of Scotland, council area and counties of Scotland, historic county of Roxburghshire in the east Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-south-east o ...
and Little Vantage, also passes through the town. The town is home to two long-established Scottish senior sporting clubs. Peebles Rovers F.C. provides Peebles with a senior Football team in the
East of Scotland Football League The East of Scotland Football League (EoSFL) is a senior association football, football league based in the east and south-east of Scotland. The league sits at levels 6–9 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Lowlan ...
, meanwhile Peebles RFC currently represent the town in
Scottish National League Division Two The Scottish National League Division Two (known as Tennent's National League Division 2 for sponsorship reasons) is the third tier of the Scottish League Championship for amateur rugby union clubs in Scotland. The division was established in it ...
in the Scottish Rugby pyramid system. Peebles has an 18-hole golf course located at the upper end of Kirkland Street. The golf club was formerly owned and run by the local council before being taken over and run by its own members. Peebles has three primary schools: Kingsland (now relocated to Neidpath Road from its original position on Rosetta Road), Priorsford, and the
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
Halyrude Primary School (now relocated from Elcho Street to the former Kingsland primary school building on Rosetta road). Peebles also has the largest secondary school in the Borders, Peebles High School, which is attended by pupils from all over Tweeddale. In 2005, a study by the
New Economics Foundation The New Economics Foundation (NEF) is a Great Britain, British think-tank that promotes "social, economic and environmental justice". NEF was founded in 1986 by the leaders of The Other Economic Summit (TOES) with the aim of working for a "new m ...
ranked Peebles as the best town in Scotland (second best in the UK, after
Hebden Bridge Hebden Bridge is a market town in the Calderdale district of West Yorkshire, England. It is in the Upper Calder Valley, west of Halifax and 14 miles (21 km) north-east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the Hebden W ...
in
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
) for a range of independent shops and 'home town identity'. The local health facility is Hay Lodge Hospital in Neidpath Road.


Notable people

* David Ballantyne (1914–1997), cricketer *
John Bathgate John Bathgate (10 August 1809 – 21 September 1886) was a New Zealand politician, and Minister of Justice (New Zealand), Minister of Justice and Commissioner of Stamps from 1872 to 1874. Life Bathgate was born in Edinburgh in 1809. While ...
(1809–1886), New Zealand politician who grew up in Peebles *
Eric Bogle Eric Bogle (born 23 September 1944) is an Australian folk music, folk singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Scotland, he emigrated to Australia at the age of 25 to settle near Adelaide, South Australia. Bogle's songs have covered a variety of to ...
(b. 1944), Folk musician resident in Australia, born in Peebles *
Scott Brash Scott Brash MBE (born 23 November 1985) is a Scottish showjumper. He began riding the horse Hello Sanctos in early 2012. They competed as part of the British Team at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London winning a gold medal in the team jumping ...
(b. 1985), Olympic gold medallist *
John Buchan John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, British Army officer, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation. As a ...
(1875–1940), author and politician with close family links to the town * Robert Chambers (1802–1871), publisher and author of ''Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation'' * William Chambers (1800–1883), publisher, brother of Robert *
Finlay Christie Finlay Turner Christie (born 19 September 1995) is a Scotland born, New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a halfback for in the Bunnings NPC and the in Super Rugby. Born in Scotland, he represents New Zealand at international level a ...
, New Zealand rugby player born in Peebles *
Brian Cook (football administrator) Brian Carlyle Cook (born 14 November 1955) is a Scottish-born Australian businessman and former Australian rules football player and coach who is the current chief executive officer (CEO) of the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Footba ...
(b. 1955), Australian football administrator, born in Peebles * Bill Gilmour (b. 1939), Film and Television Producer/Director. * James Grieve (1841–1924), horticulturist and namesake of the James Grieve apple, born in Peebles * Sir Robert J. M. Inglis (1881–1962) railway engineer * O. Douglas (Anna Masterton Buchan) (1877–1948), novelist; Priorsford, in her novels, is based on Peebles * William Keddie (1809–1877) scientist and creator of the Scottish Sunday School system *
Charles Leedham-Green Charles R. Leedham-Green is a retired professor of mathematics at Queen Mary, University of London, known for his work in group theory. He completed his DPhil at the University of Oxford. His parents were John Charles Leedham-Green (1902–1984) ...
Mathematician at QMUL, famous for his work on computational group theory *
John Mathison John Mathison (29 September 1901 – 12 October 1982) was a New Zealand politician of the New Zealand Labour Party, Labour Party. He was famed for his skills as a chairman and well known for his "unmistakably Scottish" accent, eloquent speeche ...
(1901–1982), New Zealand MP born in Peebles * Ernest Maylard (1855–1947) surgeon and mountaineer, retired to Peebles and is buried there * B. N. H. Orphoot (1880–1964) architect * Mungo Park (1771–1806), practised medicine, and his house on the north of the Cuddy bears a commemorative plaque * Alexander William Stewart (1868–1933), a naval architect, engineer, and inventor *
Catherine Maxwell Stuart, 21st Lady of Traquair Catherine Margaret Mary Maxwell Stuart, 21st Lady of Traquair (born 16 November 1964) is a Scottish landowner, politician, hotelier, brewer, and writer. She is the first female Laird of Traquair House, Traquair and, at the time she succeeded her ...
(born 1964), born in Peebles *
Kevin Thomson Kevin Thomson (born 14 October 1984) is a Scottish professional Association football, football coach and former player. Thomson played as a midfielder for Hibernian F.C., Hibernian (three spells), Rangers F.C., Rangers, Middlesbrough F.C., Mid ...
(b. 1984), footballer who grew up in Peebles * Marioun Twedy (fl. 1649), accused of witchcraft in Peebles. * Janet Coutts (d.1650), accused of witchcraft in Peebles and made to implicate 88 others. * John Veitch (1829–1894), philosopher and poet, born in Peebles


Twin town

*
Hendaye Hendaye (; Basque: ''Hendaia'',HENDAIA
Basque Country,
Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon language, Gascon Occitan language, Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; ) is a Departments of France, department located in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest corner of metropolitan ...
, France


Gallery

File:SCO-Peebles High Street 2018.jpg, High Street looking towards Eastgate (2018). File:SCO-Peebles River Tweed looking east 2018.jpg, River Tweed looking downstream (2018). File:SCO-Peebles River Tweed looking west 2018.jpg, River Tweed looking upstream and towards the town (2018). File:Remains of town wall corner tower, Peebles - geograph.org.uk - 1986865.jpg, Remains of the town wall corner
bastion A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the ...
. File:Witch hunt commemorative plaque, Tweed Green Peebles (geograph 7321139).jpg, Witch hunt commemorative plaque on Tweed Green in Peebles File:Witch hunt commemorative plaque, Tweed Green Peebles (2) (geograph 7321146).jpg, Commemorative plaque reads: "In memory of all those in Peebleshire persecuted under the 1563 Witchcraft Act including these 27 executed in 1629."


See also

*
List of town defences in Scotland This list of town defences in Scotland identifies both the defensive walls and stone walls that were built around towns and cities in Scotland. Scottish burghs were rarely enclosed by walls unlike many English and Welsh cities and towns such ...


References


Further reading

* Joe Brown and Iain Lawson (1990), ''History of Peebles: 1850–1990''. Mainstream. * Full text at Google Books.


External links

* {{Authority control Clan Fraser County towns in Scotland Parishes in Peeblesshire Populated places on the River Tweed Towns in the Scottish Borders Tweeddale