Hawick Town Trail

h aw l . hawick town trail . hawick town t ick wn trai rail . haw to ick to ick tow wn l . haw n tra tr n trai il . ha ail . tow wick haw wick tow ail ick to ail . ha n tr tr wn trail . hawick town tr ail . ha town wick town trail . hawick

hawick h aw il . hawick town trail . hawick town ick wn tra trail . haw to ick to ick to wn il . haw historical wbackgroundn tr tra n tra ail . h il . h k tow awic awi awic Did you know that Tweed and the twin- surrounded by a hedgek to or wooden palisade. ail ck l . h set were invented in Hawick? And that Today’s Hawick is predominantlwn y the remnants tr town t n trai trail wn rail . hawick tow Pringle’s world-famous diamond pattern of a mid- to late-Victorian town. To giv. he ayouw ic ck to jumpers come from the town? The ‘Home of an insight into some of the most interesting k town trail . hawi Cashmere’ has a long and colourful history sites, these three short walks divide the town which can be traced back to at least the 12th into distinct areas. century, when the Lovel family were granted land in the area by King David I. The oldest part of the town is the area between St Mary’s Kirk and the Motte (also Although Hawick was a market town written as Mote and Moat), both originated before the Industrial Revolution, the town in the 1100s. From here the town spread boomed during this period. Knitwear, tweed down Howegate to Sandbed and over the and hosiery are synonymous with Hawick. Slitrig Water to the area that is now the High Records show that in 1771 the town Street. By the 1400s the lands of Hawick had manufactured some 2,000 pairs of stockings; passed to the Douglases of Drumlanrig, who by 1838 this figure was 1,049,676 pairs. built Drumlanrig’s Tower, where our three walks all begin and end. In 1849, just 20 years after George Stephenson won The Rainhill Trials with his engine Rocket, the railway from Edinburgh arrived in Hawick.

It’s thought the name Hawick comes from the Old English words haga (hedge or enclosure) and wic (farm), suggesting a farmstead COUNCIL

hawick town trail 1 h aw il . hawick town trail . hawick town ick wn tra trail . haw t The Three walks k to ick ow . hawic town t n tr The Slitrig and The Motte is 1. 5km / 1 mile long; trail rail . ail The Teviot and The Park is 3km / 2 miles, town haw . ha and Victorian Hawick is 2km / 1. 25 miles. ick ick l wick . haw tow rai town Allow 1 hour, 2 hours and 1t hourrail respectively for the walks. n tra n t trail . hawick town il . hawi k tow We hope you will enjoy walking around Hawick ck town trail . hawic Town Trail and trust that you will have a pleasant stay in the town.

H ig h S tre et

a w ic An electonic version of this booklet is available on Scottish Borders k R u Council’s website (www.scotborders.gov.uk) g b y F oo tb A very big thank you is given to the following for contributing information all Club to this publication - Gordon Macdonald, LindsayWood, Frank Scott, Ian Landles, Shona Sinclair, Julia Cawthorne, Hamish Smith, Malcolm Grant, John Bell and also Ally Entwistle and Rachel Barwick at VisitScotland Borders. We would also like to thank Alistair Learmonth for providing the photographs. 2 hawick town trail h aw ick town trail . haw i rail . haw ick town tra ck town t il . hawic tow awick k town n t rail . h trai rai wn t l . haw l . h ck to ick l awic hawi Walk 1: The Slitrig and The Motte Steve Hislop Commemortow ative Exhibition rai k to ail . is a fascinating memorial nto tthe Superbike t wn t tr Drumlanrig’s Tower (1) rai n rail . hawick town champion who died in 2003. l . haw k tow The walk starts from Drumlanrig’s Tower at ick town trail . hawi c the end of the High Street. The building is A plaque near the entrance door recorded as the “Hous and Toure of Hawick” commemorates the visit of Sir towards the end of the 16th century and is Walter Scott and his D the oldest building in the town. Originally L- guests, poet William r um la shaped and probably located on the site of Wordsworth and n r ig an earlier building, the tower dominates the his sister Dorothy, ’s T o crossing of the Slitrig Water. in 1803 during w

e their tour of r Ownership eventually passed from the Scotland. Douglases to the Scotts of Buccleuch, and then in 1773 it became an inn and coaching The tower stage. The extension of the railway to Carlisle is open daily in 1862 saw the demise of the stage-coaches, from Easter to and the inn became a hotel. This closed in the last weekend 1981 and the building was renovated in the in October mid-1990s. (wheelchair access). As you explore you will Drumlanrig’s Tower is now a museum and see much of the fabric from visitor centre, with displays that explore the original tower has been incorporated the history of Hawick and the tower from into the present building. mediaeval times to the present day. The

hawick town trail 3 h aw il . hawick town trail . hawick town ick wn tra trail . haw t sliTrig house (2) Almost opposite the Kirkkwyndto Bridge is John ick ow . hawic town t n tr When facing the entrance door of Drumlanrig’s Laingt ofr aHailwick’s factory. When David Laing rail . ail . Tower, walk to your left, round behind the towofn Dicksons & Laings (see Wilton Mills) died, haw ha tower (a good view of its original form cani beck his sons went their separate ways,withWalter ick l wick . haw tow rai town t seen from the courtyard). Fromtra hereil turn right staying at Wilton Mills and John striking off on n trai n t randail then. ha wlefti ctok Backdamgatetown . This joins with his own to start this firm. Right next to the l . hawi k tow Slitrig Crescent (known as “the Crescent”), factory is an impressive three-storey building, ck town trail . hawic which was built when the burgh was extended Slitrig House, which was the home of John in 1799. It was the first street in Hawick to Laing. He gradually built the factory on land have gas light. he owned around the house from 1831. Unlike his fellow manufacturers, who liked to Walking along Slitrig Cresent, you will see Mill live ‘near the shop’, Mr Laing decided to live House which has a central pilastered doorpiece right beside it. (the shallow rectangular column that projects slightly from the wall, topped with a classical The house eventually passed into the style capital) and a simple elegance. This house ownership of the Red Cross until it was was associated with the corn mill (the three- bought back and became the offices for the story building in Mill Path, now converted factory in the mid-1980s. into housing) which was known as Hawick Mill. Further along the Crescent, the buildings sT CuThberT’s ChurCh (3) have simpler local detailing and are largely Continue along Slitrig Crescent until you constructed using local whinstone. reach St Cuthbert’s Church (on the right- hand side) which was completed in 1858 In 1868, the Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland by Sir George Gilbert Scott, the leading describes the Crescent as “a snug and almost architect of the Gothic Revival, who could romantic position, a curved and beautifully count the Albert Memorial,St Pancras Station edificed terrace called the Crescent”. and Glasgow University among the 1,000

4 hawick town trail h aw il . hawick town trail . hawick town ick wn tra trail . haw t k to buildings he designed. The church containsick building. Records show a fire engine was ow . hawic town t n tr trail fine stained glass windows, one of which purchasedrail . for the town in 1809. The arched ail . town commemorates the Duke of Buccleuch, who entrance h- awithw a roundel window above - ha ick paid for the building. The chancel screen was is now blockedi cupk, but still visible. The fire l wick . haw tow rai town t trail designed by the architect Sir Robert Lorimer. station moved to Commercialn t Roadrai in 1910, n t rail . hawick town Beside the church is the former rectory, and then to its current location at Wiltonl . ha Hillw i k tow which is now private housing. in the 1970s. ck town trail . hawic

Former Fire sTaTion (4) Go back to Kirk Wynd and head up to St Mary’s Kirk. St Now head back along Slitrig Crescent and M a ry cross the Slitrig Water via the Kirkwynd ’s sTmary’s kirk (5) K ir Bridge. This sandstone bridge with a single k arch was built in 1864 and replaced a The site of St Mary’s wooden footbridge. It neatly joins the Burgh has been a place of extension and the older part of Hawick worship for many surrounding St Mary’s Kirk - the church you centuries - it is first can see up on the bank ahead of you as you mentioned in 1183. cross the bridge. In 1214, a church was erected here and On the left is the area called ‘The Village’ and consecrated to the on the right is Slitrig Bank with its imposing memory of St Mary by three-storey block of early 19th century flats Adam, Bishop of Caithness, facing the Slitrig Water and beyond them is who had formerly been an the former fire station. Abbot of Melrose. The Kirk was rebuilt in 1763. After a fire in 1880 it was The fire service for Hawick, using horse- rebuilt again. The tower is the only surviving drawn tenders, was provided from this part of the earlier building. Its position on

hawick town trail 5 h aw il . hawick town trail . hawick town ick wn tra trail . haw t the hill means St Mary’s can been seen from moaT Park (6) k to ick ow . hawic town t n tr a great distance, so for many years, pocket Fromt Str aMaril y’s,continue along to the junction rail . ail watches all over the town were set to its towandn turn left into Drumlanrig Square and haw . h clock. ck then uphill along the Loan to Moat Park. You ick l awic hawi tow rai k to il . will see the entrance to the park just after n t t wn t St Mary’s was where tJamesra Paris Lee, rai n rail . hawick town Drumlanrig St Cuthbert’s Primary School on l . hawi k tow the inventor of the Lee-Enfield rifle, was the left-hand side. ck town trail . hawic baptised. Lee was born in Hawick in 1831 but his family emigrated to Canada when he The Motte - the large mound of earth - was 4 or 5 years old. In 1879 dates from the 12th century and was built he patented a bolt-action by the Lovels. On the way up to it you will magazine rifle, and in pass a seat made in the form of a medieval 1895 the Lee-Enfield siege weapon which was used to hurl rocks Mark 1 rifle first at fortifications. appeared, and was used through A Norman construction, the Motte is both World about 7.6m (25 feet) high and a wooden Wars. Today tower would have been at the top, with a small plaque defensive ditches all around it. There would commemorating also originally have been a small settlement Lee is set into around the base of the Motte protected by a the wall. If you are wooden palisade. M trying to trace Hawick oa The Motte plays an important part in the t P ancestors who might be ark annual Hawick Common-Riding, when the buried at St Mary’s, there is principal, the Cornet, climbs the steps to a complete inventory of the kirk’s welcome the sunrise and sing the town song graves in the Public Library. which includes the words ‘Teribus, ye Teri

6 hawick town trail h aw il . hawick town tr ail . hawick town ick wn tra trail . haw t k to Odin’, which is believed to invoke thei cNork se The area now known as Drumlanrig Square ow . hawic town t n tr trail Gods Thor and Odin: ‘Thor be with us, both wasra notil . always as wide - a row of thatched ail . town Thor and Odin’. houses knohawnw ias the Auld Mid Row ran haw ick down the centrec, andk the sides were known il ic haw This is also why you may hear people from tow ra k tow rail . as Back Row and Fore Rown. tr n t n trail . hawick town t Hawick being called ‘Teries’. ail . haw tow The Mid Row houses had fallen into disrepair, ick town trail . hawick wesT PorT (7) unfit orf habitation. The 1861 Census shows Return now to Drumlanrig Square through the 11 houses were home to 171 people - the site of the West Port. A stone plaque on an average of 15. 5 per house! In 1884, after the wall of No 2 Loan indicates that this was the people of Hawick collected sufficient the site of the port. This was the western money to buy the houses from the owners, gate to the town in medieval times and was they were then demolished. on the main road to Carlisle. The Brown Memorial Fountain and Clock, - No 14 Loan was where James Hogg, who designed by the renowned Edinburgh-born, wrote the words for the Common-Riding Hawick-based architect James P Alison - was song ‘Teribus’ in 1819, died. The tune of the added to the square in 1910. Auctioneer song is much older - it dates back to at least William Brown, who had left Hawick in his the 16th century. Hogg - not to be confused teens and died at Alloa, left provision in his with the ‘Ettrick Shepherd’ of the same name will for the fountain and clock to be erected - called the song ‘The Colour’, but it is better in the town. known now as ‘Teribus’. An old copy of the tune is preserved in the town’s library. From Drumlanrig Square, head down However, it only vaguely resembles the tune Howegate, which still follows the medieval used today. line. At the end of Howegate, turn sharp right up Silver Street. This narrow street is one of the oldest in Hawick. It was here that

hawick town trail 7 h aw awick town trail . hawick ic trail . h town trail k t town . hawick ow a Chartist Association store was opened in carried away bhya thew iwaterck s. The damage was town n t 1838. extensivtrae,i blut. there was miraculously no loss trail rai wofn life, with those washed away being dragged . haw l . h The first day’s sales at the Silver Streetk to ic aw awic half-drowned from the Teviot. k to ail ick to premises were £7, and its successil soon. h caused wn t tr wn t a lowering of prices in neighbourtra ing shops. rai n rail . hawick town The Slitrig Water has broken its banks many l . hawi k tow Eventually, other branches opened in the town times over the years - a plaque on the side of ck town trail . hawic and by 1854 the Association was absorbed Drumlanrig’s Tower is roughly 1.5m (5 feet) into the Co-operative Society. By 1940, the above the pavement level and marks the Co-op’s yearly turnover was recorded at height of the flood of 1846. £345,911. After 600 years of service the Auld Brig was Tower mill (8) demolished in 1851 at the expense of hosiery You are close to Tower Mill (known as Elliot’s manufacturer William Elliot, who erected his Mill) now and have a clear view of the arch mill on the site to replace an earlier mill which supporting this impressive mill, which was built occupied just one side of the river. in 1852 and spans the Slitrig Water. Perhaps in remorse for the destruction of The Auld Brig which previously spanned the the ancient bridge the Town Council offered Slitrig here is thought to have been built in a silver medal for a commemorative poem the 13th century and was a narrow, two-span about the Auld Brig, which was won by a Miss structure. The parapets and east side of the Agnes Douglas. bridge were washed away in a spectacular flood in August 1767 when the Slitrig rose Initially, the Tower Mill was powered by a 6.6m (22 feet) in just two hours. waterwheel,but a Lancashire boiler was added in the 1860s as the water flow was insufficient The parochial school, the corn mill, and 15 in the summer months when the water was houses - complete with two inhabitants - were low. The waterwheel was connected up to an

8 hawick town trail h aw il . hawick town tr ail . hawick town ick wn tra trail . haw t k to electric generator in 1900 to supply electrick icity ow . hawic town Wt alk 2:The Teviot and the Park n tr trail to the owner’s house in Buccleuch Street. rail . ai wn Towerknohaw we (10) l . to Tower Mill is a focal point for the ‘Heart of Hawick’ ic haw ick Leaving Drumlanrkig’s Tower, head across to il ic haw project, a £10 million-plus redevelopment of tow ra k to il . Drumlanrig Bridge right atn thet end of the t wn t tra the Mill and the old Corn Exchange buildings, rai n rail . hawick town High Street. l . haw tow plus improvements to Drumlanrig’s Tower, the ick town trail . hawick town centre and a new foot/cycle bridge over This area is called Towerknowe and is the River Teviot (see William Beck’s Stocking essentially built around Drumlanrig Bridge Shop (28)). From c. Easter 2007 Tower Mill will (originally called the Slitrig Bridge) with provide access to a theatre/cinema, exhibition its two flat arches. Funded through public space, a visitor information centre and a café/ subscription in 1776 and built to carry bar, as well as workshops for arts and media traffic for which the Auld Brig was unsuited, businesses. subsequent increases in traffic led to the bridge being widened twice, in 1828 and The heriTage hub (9) 1900. On the site of the former Corn Exchange, will be home to the Registrar Service and a state- The buildings around here range from the of-the-art archive and family history centre late 18th century with plain Scottish detailing, from c. Easter 2007. The Corn Exchange was through to early 19th century classically begun in 1864, but the arch it was being built on influenced uildings.b collapsed before the foundation stone could be A fine example is the former Hawick laid, and it was finally completed in 1866. branch of the Commercial Bank (you can Before turning left into Kirkstyle, pause for a see the night safe still in the wall) with its different view of St Mary’s, at the top of the hill Italianate styling. The Bank relocated from on the right. Return to Drumlanrig’s Tower and Buccleuch Street to these new premises, the end of the first walk. built by Hawick’s Thomas Harkness in 1852. hawick town trail 9 h aw il . hawick town trail . hawick town ick wn tra trail . haw t The highly decorative stonework is by an herds is held generallyk ont othe first, second, ick ow . hawic town t n tr Edinbugh-born ‘hewer’ called Alexander and thirdtra Thuril sdays of April.“ rail . ail . Pirnie, who settled in Hawick. town hawi haw ick sanDbeD (11) ck il ic Towerknowe was the town’s marhketa wplace tow ra k to il . Continue past Howegate on your left, to n t t wn t after the traders were tmoraved from the rai n rail . hawick town bring the Sandbed on to your right-hand side l . hawi k tow Sandbed in 1815, having previously been - a busy area where a total of five streets ck town trail . hawic relocated from the area around theTown Hall. meet. Sandbed was previously a more Records show that Hawick enclosed area than it is today, and it’s hard had a fleshmarket, now to imagine markets being held here. b u t t e r m a r k e t , m e a l m a r k e t , buCCleuCh sTreeT (12) saltmarket and Go into Buccleuch Street - which was horsemarket. constructed in 1815 - to see another part of Additionally,this the town which resulted from the expansion was the area of Hawick at the start of the 19th century. where workers Buccleuch Street was just part of a grand could be hired. road entering the town from Carlisle and The Gazetteer the South and is still known locally as the “New Road”. It is lined with fineexamples of S says: “Markets for a n early 19th century buildings. There is some db cattle and for hiring ed servants are held on suggestion that the famous engineer Thomas the 17th of May and on Telford - who was born in neighbouring the 8th of November; for sheep Dumfries & Galloway - was involved in the on the 20th and 21st of September; and project. Telford is probably best-known for horses and cattle on the third Tuesday for projects such as the Menai Bridge and of October. A market for hiring hinds and Caledonian Canal, but it is recorded that he 10 hawick town trail h aw il . hawick town trail . hawick town ick wn tra trail . haw t k to was commissioned to carry out surivceysk of something for everyone - riverside walks; ow . hawic town t n tr trail the Edinburgh to Carlisle route, which did florrala displail . ys; a magnificent walled garden; a ail own include Hawick. waterfall; monhawuments and sports facilities. . haw ick t ick il ic haw Wilton Lodge, which wastow the Langlands estate ra k to il . TevioT ChurCh (13) n t t wn t tra from around 1290 until 1790, hasra underi gone n rail . hawick town Just before Hawick High School, turn right l . hawi k tow into St George’s Lane. On the right-hand several transformations in its history and most ck town trail . hawic side is Teviot Church which was Hawick’s first of the present building dates from extensive Free Kirk built after the religious upheaval of renovations in 1859. The “The Disruption”in 1843,when 474 ministers house and grounds W i were purchased for lto left their churches and manses. The present n L o £14,000 by the d building dates from 1916 and was designed g Town Council e by James P Alison, but contains elements of P a r the earlier structure. for the people k of Hawick A choice can now be made between after the last two routes. Either cross the Teviot by the member of the footbridge (the Lawson bridge) at the end of Pringle family St George’s Lane or follow the path behind - the owners of the High School to walk along the bank of the the estate - died River Teviot and into Wilton Lodge Park, to without an heir in cross further up-river by the next footbridge 1890. (the Laurie Bridge). Since 1910,Wilton Lodge wilTon loDge (14) has been home to a museum. Both routes lead to Wilton Lodge and park. Today, The Hawick Museum and Scott Art The 43 hectares (107 acres) of parkland Gallery reflects manufacturing, domestic life are used all year round. The grounds have and the rich history of Hawick. hawick town trail 11 h aw awick town trail . hawick ic trail . h town trail k t town . hawic ow There is a fine war memorial (paid for Steve Hislop (knoawwni cask Hizzy), who died in a k tow n through public subscription) in the park which helicopter icrl ash. h in 2003. An essential place to n tr tra n tra ail . h il . h was unveiled in 1921. Below the toweringk towvisit, the park is 16 times winner of Scotland awic awi 8-metre (27-foot) cenotaph, designedaw icby in Bloom and winner of Beautiful Britain in k to ail ck James B Dunn of Edinburgh, lis. ha bronze Bloom. wn tr town t n trai trail wn rastatueil . h aofw theic ‘Spirk tito ofw Youth Triumphing over . hawic ck to Evil’ by Alec Leslie of London. The memorial uPPer Common haugh (15) k town trail . hawi was constructed by Messrs J Marshall of Follow the signs from Wilton Lodge Park for Hawick. The lamps - which are lit ‘town centre’ and head back to the town along continuously - are modelled Victoria Road. At the cauld (or weir), bear right on those on the Burgh to walk beside the river and through the Upper arms. Common Haugh (a haugh is a flatmeado w by a river). This area, the Coble Cauld, is particularly Further on is a popular during the summer months and salmon memorial to the can be seen jumping as they make their way up men of Hawick the river to spawn in the autumn. who lost their lives in the Boer The area gets its name from the fact that before War in South the Albert Bridge was built, a coble (small boat)

W Africa between was the only means of crossing the river. i lt o 1899 and 1902. n L Looking left, you will see the new Community o d ge Also in the grounds Hospital, which replaces the old Cottage M u are memorials to the Hospital on Buccleuch Street. The new seu m motorcycle champions hospital is on the site of the old Pringle factory Jimmie Guthrie who was born in warehouse - the firm’s factory is in Noble 1897 and died whilst taking part in the 1937 Place. Pringle was founded in Hawick in 1815 German Grand Prix, and Superbike hero by Robert Pringle. 12 hawick town trail h aw awick town trail . hawick ic trail . h town trail k t town . hawic ow awick alberT briDge (16) k tow it was appearing on the Ordnance Survey n il . h Continue along the path (not crossing the n maptr as Albert Bridge, the name which it tra n tra ail . h il . h k tow Lawson Bridge, which would take you back bears todaya. wCrossic the bridge into Sandbed. awi awic to St George’s Lane) until you reach Albert k to ail ck l . h Bridge which enters Sandbed from the north. olD grammar sCwhooln (17) tr town t n trai trail wn rail . hawick tow From here you can see the futuristic James Immediately adjoining the bridge is the. forhamerw ic ck to Thomson foot/cycle bridge - named after the Orrock Church. Built in 1874, it served as k town trail . hawi Hawick-born poet - which crosses the Teviot a church until 1951 when the in a single, 40-metre span and was built in congregation merged with Al be 2005. that of St Mary’s. Next rt B r id to the Orrock Church g A local community group involving the Burns is the former e Club and the Hawick Archaeological Society Grammar School, has worked with Scottish Borders Council built in 1824 with to place a specially commissioned memorial the bequest of to James Thomson, who died in 1888, at the the Reverend north end of the bridge. It was designed A l e x a n d e r by Hawick sculptor William Landles. James Orrock, who was Thomson wrote the words to ‘The Star o’ the minister here Robbie Burns’ and several Common-Riding from 1691 until his songs. death in 1711, and after The Albert Bridge is on the site of the Teviot whom the street is named. Bridge, the first bridge over the Teviot into Only on completion of the High Hawick, which was built in 1741. The present School in Buccleuch Street in the 1860s did three arch bridge dates from 1865 and was schooling move from here. designed by the engineer A Wilson. By 1898

hawick town trail 13 Buccleuch Road ▲ h To Wilton aw Lodge hPaark w ick town trail . hawick to ic n trail . wn trail . h k 1 ow aw to Drumlanrig’s Tower ick t ick to w2 nSlitrig House . haw wn t 3 St Cuthbert’s Church ail ra tra town map n tr P il . h 4 Formeri lFir.e Station tow awi 5 h ck ck l St Marys’ Kirka wic Drumlanrig awi Upper to ai 6 Moat Park k t Square il . h Common wn tr o a Buccleuch Str t 7 w r r n West Port n trail . ha ick town t Haugh ail . h tow 8 w aw Towermill ick town l . hawick 9 The Heritage Hub trai 10 Towerknowe 11 Sandbed

12 eet Buccleuch Street Commer 13 Teviot Church cial 14 Wilton Lodge Road 15 Upper Common Haugh 16 Albert Bridge 17 How Sandbed Old Grammer School egate P 18 Carpet Close 19 South Port Teviotdale 20 37 High Street Leisure Centre 21 Town Hall High Str 22 Walter’s Wynd eet 23 “The Horse” 24 43-45 North Bridge Street 25 Public Library ckdamgate eet 26 Teviotdale Leisure Centre Ba e Str 27 North Bridg Wilton Mills Kirk Wynd Bridge Slitrig Crescent 28 William Beck’s Stocking Shop 29 Thomson Bridge 30 Mill Port Drumlanrig’s Tower Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Visitor Information Centre Scottish Borders Council, LA09049L, 2006. (Start of the Town Trail) 14 hawick town trail Buccleuch Road ▲ h To Wilton aw Lodge Park ick town trail . haw i rail . haw ick town tra ck town t il . hawic tow awick k town n t ail . h trai rai wn tr l . ha l . h k to wic l awi awic Upper k to ai ck t il . h Common wn tr ow ra Buccleuch Str tr n n trail . hawick town t Haugh ail . h tow awick town trail . hawick

eet Commer cial Road

Howegate Sandbed Teviotdale Leisure Centre High Str eet ckdamgate eet Ba e Str North Bridg Slitrig Crescent

hawick town trail 15 h aw il . hawick town trail . hawick town ick wn tra trail . haw t CarPeT Close (18) ago and was convertedk intoto offices. Crown ick ow . hawic town t n tr Near the southern end of Orrock Place is Closet wasrai lhome to stables and a blacksmith’s rail . ail . a close on the right-hand side which was towshopn which served the Tower when it was a haw ha known as Carpet Close, since carpets wereick coaching inn. ick l wick . haw tow rai town t made in a large factory nearbtraiyl from 1752 n trai n t ratoil 1806.. haw Wialkck backto wovern Drumlanrig Bridge souTh PorT (19) l . hawi k tow and you will be back at Drumlanrig’s Tower Continue up the hill past the blacksmith’s ck town trail . hawic and the end of the second walk. anvil along Allars Bank (Staney Brae) until you come out at Cross Wynd (also signed as Walk 3: Victorian Allars Bank) and then turn left to head down Hawick into High Street. This was one of the primary entries into the town and it was the main road from the south until the 1830s. When facing D r u m l a n r i g ’ s Set into the pavement on the right-hand side Tower, walk is a marker indicating where the Cross Well, round to one of Hawick’s early water supplies, was your right and located. As you meet the High Street, you go a short can see one of Hawick’s many bank buildings distance along in front of you, the Royal Bank of Scotland,

A Tower d yke si de at numbers 31 to 35 High Street, which was lb e and first left into rt built around 1870 and originally housed the B ri Backdamgate. On dg National Bank of Scotland. e the left, at the top of the street, is Crown Close which Another building of note is No 11 High was named after the Crown Hotel Street, the birthplace of the Right Hon James on High Street. This hotel closed some years Wilson (1805-1860), the founder of The

16 hawick town trail h aw il . hawick town trail . hawick town ick wn tra trail . haw t k to Economist. This was also the officeof itheck first imposing corner tower with its clock on the ow . hawic town t n tr trail Hawick savings bank, which was established fourra facesil . is a landmark in the town. ail . town in 1815 as the Hawick Bank for the Savings hawi haw ick of Industry. Now a Lloyds TSB, the bank was The plans werec kprepared by Edinburgh il ic haw architect James Campbelltow Walker, and the ra k to il . also the largestTSB branch officein the south n t t wn t tra building occupies the extendedr asitei of the n rail . hawick town of Scotland. Until the Lloyds merger in 1995, l . hawi k tow the TSB was the oldest, continually existing first Town House, which had been built ck town trail . hawic in 1781 at the more modest cost savings bank in the British Isles. T ow of £300, and was demolished n H in 1884. This in turn had a 37 high sTreeT (20) ll Next to the bank at number 37 High Street replaced the original, there is a bronze plaque above the shop thatched, two-storey front. This commemorates the introduction tollbooth and jail. of stocking-frames in 1771 by local magistrate Changing times have Bailie John Hardie. He purchased four cost Hawick her Mercat stocking-frames whilst on a business trip Cross which once stood to Glasgow and brought them back to the by the corner of Cross town, thus earning himself the title ‘Father of Wynd near the present the Hawick knitwear industry’. Town Hall. The cross was taken down in 1762 and the Town hall (21) stones sold for the grand sum of At the junction of Cross Wynd and High 11 shillings and 6 pence (57p). Street stands the Town Hall. This building, presently local offices for Scottish Borders Council, was completed in 1886 in the Scots Baronial style at a cost of £16,000. The

hawick town trail 17 h aw il . hawick town trail . hawick town ick wn tra trail . haw t walTer’s wynD (22) was an Irish patriot, statesman,k to barrister and ick ow . hawic town t n tr Just as there is a South Port, there is also a refortmerra iknol wn as ‘The Liberator’, who died rail . ail . North Port. Called Walter’s Wynd, this lane towin n1847. haw ha is located between numbers 47 and 49 iHighck ick l wick . haw tow rai town t Street and makes its wayt torawardsil the Teviot. “The horse” (24) n trai n t raContinil . hauew alongick tHighow Streetn for the moment At the far end of the High Street stands l . hawi k tow to numbers 65 to 67 (opposite O’Connell the 1514 Memorial known locally as “The ck town trail . hawic Street), which were built in 1885 by Horse”. This impressive equestrian statue Michael Brodie as the Hawick commemorates the victory of local youths Co-operative Society Store. over English invaders under the colours of the Abbot of Hexham at nearby Hornshole Although the Co-op in 1514, barely a year after the disaster at moved from the building Flodden. During the skirmish, the Abbot’s in 1987 and the shops banner was taken and triumphantly carried have changed, the back to Hawick. wonderful detailing on the upper façade Hawick’s Horse is the centrepiece of the remains unaltered. symbolic events commemorating this day Baker Street marks the during the Common-Riding every June when edge of the former Co- the Cornet (the principal) ‘busses’ the bronze T h e operative Society property flag of the statue by tying blue and gold H o and leads down to the Lower ribbons - the towns’ colours - on to its staff. rse Haugh and the Teviot, just as The memorial was erected in 1914 and Walter’s Wynd does. was paid for by public subscription. A total of £1,440 was raised and the statue was The name of O’Connell Street is a reflection executed by Hawick-born sculptor, William of Hawick’s radical past. Daniel O’Connell Francis Beattie. He went on to serve as a

18 hawick town trail h aw il . hawick town tr ail . hawick town ick wn tra trail . haw t k to major with the Royal Field Artilleryi cink the A clear Art Nouveau influence can be seen ow . hawic town t n tr trail First World War and was killed in action in in rmanaily. of the buildings of North Bridge ail . town 1918. Street. Theha architectwi James P Alison designed haw ick numbers 43 andc 45k as his house and office il ic haw Look across the road to the jeweller’s tow ra k to il . - look out in particular forn tthe letter box t wn t tra shop and you will see the ‘Teribus Clock’ rai n rail . hawick town and mosaic work on the steps. Thesel . h aneww i k tow on the front of the building, which was the buildings must have made a tremendous ck town trail . hawic brainchild of jeweller Hamish Smith. This impression as their styling was so different to automaton clock has three horses and riders anything built before in the town. representing the Hawick Common-Riding Cornet and his Right- and Left-Hand Men PubliC library (25) which appear every quarter of the hour, At the end of North Bridge Street (on the to the strains of ‘Teribus’. The clock was left) is the Public Library which was built designed and constructed entirely in Hawick, in 1904 with a £10,000 gift from Andrew and erected in 1996. Carnegie, the world-famous philanthropist who was born in Dunfermline. Carnegie 43-45 norTh briDge sTreeT (24) himself opened the building. Cross North At the top of this street is the curiously-titled Bridge, which was built in 1832 to be a CoffinEnd coffee shop, named for the shape second crossing over the Teviot. It originally of a long line of shops which jutted out here, had four arches but the north and south the feature of a previous building before the arches were filled in when it was widened in current grand premises were built. 1882 and it is now pedestrianised.

Make your way along North Bridge Street, Once over the bridge, you are in the Wilton which was built between the mid-1800s area of Hawick. This was once a separate and 1900. The double-fronted No 17 was a settlement with its own parish church, but former mid-Victorian doctor’s house. the two came together in 1861 with the re-

hawick town trail 19 h aw il . hawick town trail . hawick town ick wn tra trail . haw t organisation of local government. However, The famous Waverley kLineto from Edinburgh ick ow . hawic town t n tr the name lives on in the cricket team - the to Cartrlisleai lclosed in 1969. rail . ail Hawick and Wilton. town haw . haw ick The Waverley Line was generally ick il ic haw acknowledged as one of the most scenic tow ra k to TevioTDale leisure Cenil . Tre n t t wn t tra routes in the country. Directly over the road rai n ra(26)il . hawick town l . hawi k tow On the right is theTeviotdale Leisure Centre is the former Station Hotel. As the railway ck town trail . hawic which was built in 1983 and has many leisure curved sharply and was in a dip,the signalman facilities including the largest could ring a bell in the Hotel from the signal swimming pool in the box to warn of oncoming trains. Scottish Borders. Although long since removed, the route of The Centre is on the railway can still be traced through the the site of the town. former railway station which wilTon mills (27) was the first Go back towards North bridge and turn station built right to walk up river along Commercial by the North Road towards the Victoria footbridge, which British Railway you will be crossing. Along this road were when Hawick P some of the mill buildings which made u b was at the end lic Hawick great. L ib of the line. In ra ry 1862 when the line The former Wilton Mills buildings dominate was extended to Carlisle Commercial Road. Also called Dicksons & a new station was erected with Laings, the firm was founded in 1810. This the platforms partly extended over the river. was the first mill in Hawick to have power

20 hawick town trail h aw il . hawick town tr ail . hawick town ick wn tra trail . haw t k to looms, purchased from Manchester icink 1832 Further along is the site of Messrs William ow . hawic town t n tr trail and transported to the town by horse and Wratsonail . & Sons’ Dangerfield Mills, which ail . town cart. originally hawwovie shawls, blankets and haw ick shepherds’ checkc k- but was to become the il ic haw Dicksons & Laings produced both hosiery and tow ra k tow rail . birthplace of tweed. n tr n t n trail . hawick town t tweed, and continued to do so when some ail . haw tow mills abandoned hosiery to concentrate on In 1832, a London merchant misread the ick town trail . hawick the lucrative tweed trade in the 1860s. name ‘Tweel’ (or ‘twill’, a type of weave) on a quantity of woven material from William Perhaps the most striking feature of Wilton Watson’s, and re-ordered ‘Tweed’. William Mills is the clock tower. In the mid-1800s Watson seized the opportunity to market Walter Laing had pressed for the ‘new’Wilton this ‘new’ fabric, Scotch Tweed. Parish Church to have a clock as part of the building. The architect was against the idea, In 1983 the Watson family finally sold the and got his way, so the persistent Mr Laing mills, and 176 years of William Watson & built his own clock tower at the factory. Sons came to an end. The carding sheds and spinning mill were totally destroyed by firein In 1908, mill owner’s son Ivan Laing became 2003, including some unique machines dating Hawick’s first Olympian when he was chosen back to 1879. to play hockey at the Games. He scored the first hockey goal in the first ever Olympic As you approach the bridge you will see hockey match. He died in the First World the Shorts of Hawick factory. Shorts was War at Cambrai aged just 32, after surviving originally in Drumlanrig Square when the firm the Somme two months earlier. was called Highland Hose and manufactured tartan socks. In 1984 they moved to the Dicksons & Laings went into receivership in Ladylaw Centre, and then relocated to this 1909 with debts of some £56,000. factory in 1999. In 1991 they changed their

hawick town trail 21 h aw il . hawick town trail . hawick town ick wn tra trail . haw t name to Shorts of Hawick. The business Across the river you mightk to just be able to ick ow . hawic town t n tr manufactures cashmere and cashmere blends. maket outrai lthe signwriting on the side of the rail . ail . This factory originally belonged to another towfornmer Victoria Steam Laundry. Business haw ha famous Hawick knitwear name, Peter Scott’ics,k declined with the introduction of the ick l wick . haw tow rai town t which is based in Buccleucht rStreetail and offers domestic washing machine, and the laundry n trai n t rafascinatingil . haw factorick yt tourows.n closed down in the 1990s. The last operator l . hawi k tow of the laundry was George Stanger, father ck town trail . hawic Cross the Teviot again by means of the of 1990 Grand Slam try-scoring rugby hero, Victoria Footbridge to Lower Haugh and Tony. Teviot Crescent.This bridge was built in 1991 and replaced When you reach the Health Centre on a bridge built in 1851. the left-hand side, you are at the site of the Teviot Crescent was former Robert Pringle & Sons’ Rodono Mills largely constructed - the place where the twin-set was invented. in 1832 and was By the 1930s, knitted underwear was losing home to middle- its appeal, and women’s fashions generally class workers. became more body-hugging.

william A young Austrian designer called Otto Weisz beCk’s was working for the company and introduced the ‘classic twin-set’ of a sweater and cardigan Ja sToCking m e and by the 1950s Hawick’s twin-sets in either s shoP (28) Th cashmere or lambswool were the height of om If you turn right after the s on Victoria bridge and walk fashion around the world. It was also at this Brid ge along the side of the Teviot, you time the term ‘knitwear’ came into use. Just are walking parallel with High Street, which is after the Health Centre, set back from the hidden on your left. road and beside the ‘snake like’ walkway, is a

22 hawick town trail h aw il . hawick town trail . hawick town ick wn tra trail . haw t k to building with a row of regular, small windoick ws If you choose this alternative route, you can ow . hawic town t n tr trail on the first floor. stillr alookil . down on Mill Port from Drumlanrig ail town Bridge. haw . haw ick This is the back of no 21 High Street, or ick il ic haw William Beck’s Stocking Shop, and was built tow ra k to il . mill PorT (30) n t t wn t tra around 1800. This building took knitting a rai n rail . hawick town At the end ofTeviot Road lies Mill Porl .t, hwhichaw i k tow step closer from a cottage industry to the gets its name from a gateway by a corn mill ck town trail . hawic mills on the opposite bank of the river. The which once stood here. The mill was the windows were regularly spaced and sized one which was destroyed in to provide daylight for each worker and this W the 1767 flood. al led must have been a tremendous benefit in the G a rd days before gas and electric lighting. From Mill Port e n , you can see at W i The building was converted into houses in lt close hand o 1991 by the National Trust for Scotland as n the point at L o

part of their ‘Little Houses’ scheme. g

which the e P

Slitrig Water a

r Further along you can see the new Thomson k suspension bridge (29), its single span of and the 40 metres (131 feet) supported by stays River Teviot from two steel pylons extending 17 metres join. Looking (56 feet) above its deck. south you see Drumlanrig Bridge There are steps at the end of this next and the imposing section of the walk. As an alternative, go mass of the Tower Mill up the walkway and past the Stocking Shop, beyond. To the west is Albert and on to the High Street, turning right for Bridge and the new Thomson suspension Drumlanrig’s Tower and the end of this walk. bridge.

hawick town trail 23 h aw ick town trail . haw i rail . haw ick town tra ck town t il . hawic tow By going up the steps, you arrive at Tower awick k tow n Knowe. With a finallook up the High Street, il . h n tr tra n tra ail . h il . h return to Drumlanrig’s Tower and the end ofk tow awic awic this walk. hawic k tow ail k tow rail . n tr n tr n traTheseil . h aarew ishorcktt walks,own andt not everything ail . haw tow can be covered, but we hope this has given ick town trail . hawick you a flavour of the town and hope you will return again soon.

24 hawick town trail h aw l . hawick tow n trail . hawick town t ick wn trai rail . haw to ick to ick tow wn l . haw n tra tr n trai il . ha ail . tow wick haw wick tow ail ick to ail . ha n tr tr wn trail . hawick town tr ail . ha town wick town trail . hawick

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