Sunday 28 June 2020

Paxton




Paxton is a small quiet village in the Scottish Borders. It lies just off the B6461 and is about 5 miles from the market town of Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland, and just over a mile from the Scottish border.  Duns, a small market town in the Scottish Borders is only 10.6 miles away.

Paxton dates back to around 400AD when the Saxons arrived and settled in Northumbria. The Saxon name of Paccuston, after the original family who settled here changed over a period of time to Paxton. The Paxton family acquired land in both Scotland and England becoming medieval barons with their own coat of arms. During the reign of Edward I when Scotland and England were frequently at war Paxton, along with other lands belonging to the Paxton family were forfeited. It became impossible for the family to have loyalty with both Kings. Eventually the village became the property of the Home family of Wedderburn.

The village had a turbulent past mainly due to its proximity to the border and crossing points on the River Tweed.  In 1296 whilst travelling to the siege of Berwick Edward I raided and then set fire to the village. The village was set fire to again in 1482 by the Duke of Gloucester (who was later Richard III) and in 1540 destroyed by Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk. In 1648 on his way to Coldingham from Norham Oliver Cromwell visited the village.

Despite these many obstacles over the next decades the villagers continue to work on the land or in the local salmon fisheries  and the village thrived. Although there are no longer any remains of the medieval homes the village still stands on the same ground and a number of wells still exist. The communal village pumps stands in The Square where the oldest part of the village remains. the oldest existing house dates from 1724.

Paxton was the birthplace in 1870 of Mary Jane Reddin , the mother of Eric Liddell, who after winning a gold medal in the 400 metres in 1924 Olympics became one of Scotlands most famous athletes. This friendly village has a church and the popular Cross Inn, serving excellent food. 

The elegant Paxton House is only a few minutes walk away. In addition to visiting the house and gardens a walk through the woods and along the banks of the River Tweed is well recommended. The village is close to the both the River Tweed and the Whiteadder Water and is surrounded by farmland.

War Memorial


Village Green




Village Pump

River Tweed

Whiteadder Water






Paxton Church
Paxton Parish Church was built in 1908 and was originally the Paxton and Mordington United Free Church. In 1929 it joined with the church of Scotland and now forms part of the Hutton Parish. 

Paxton Church

Paxton Church
The Cross Inn
The Cross Inn is a 19th century quaint and cosy country pub situated in the centre of the village. The popular pub is known for its excellent food and friendly atmosphere

The Cross Inn

Paxton House
A few minutes walk from the village is the impressive Paxton House. Paxton House is a Neo-Palladian style house built in the 18th century for Patrick Home. It remained in the Home family until 1988 when the house and furniture were given to the Paxton House Trust. The house houses a large collection of Chippendale furniture. 

The house and gardens are open to the public from March to November. House Tours and a visit to The Stables Tea Room are well recommended. The extensive grounds are a fantastic way to while away the hours, with paths through woods and along the banks of the River Tweed. A walk along the banks of the river is both serene and beautiful, before either returning through the glorious gardens of Paxton House or continuing along the river banks to the Union Chain Bridge.









Walking
Paxton is an ideal place to enjoy the tranquility of riverside walks or the serenity of the countryside. There are several wonderful walks from Paxton, including Paxton House and the River Tweed, the Whiteadder Water and to the neighbouring village of Hutton. These can be found in the Short Walks in The Scottish Borders section


Cycling
There are many different cycles that can be undertaken from Paxton either short local rules or further afield both in the Scottish Borders and Northumberland. A selection of these cycles can be found in the cycling section.

Links to Other Walks
https://walkscottishborders.com/route/paxton-house-to-whiteadder-water/
https://walkscottishborders.com/route/union-chain-bridge-circular/

Saturday 27 June 2020

June In Paxton And The Borders


June has been a most schizophrenic month, from the first two blazing hot days, though a week of bitter northerly winds to a week of interminable grey like February which required the heating being used on the 13th to an end of month heatwave of some of the hottest weather experienced for years here. 

The garden’s roses are in their first glorious flush of the summer and while some of the clematis have stooped flowering now, others are in full bloom. 

As I write today it is so hot we have retreated indoors, joined by our three cats, all of whom are over-heated. To think that a week ago we had coats on! Most odd. That is what summers are like here, they can range from slate grey skies and shivering cold to blazing heat within a few days. Ten degree drops in temperatures between days are not unusual. 

By the end of the month fresher weather was back again. Several seasons in one month - it has certainly seemed that way.