First stop in Scotland was an old fashioned, and rather eccentric, guest house on the outskirts of Galashiels. Eating dinner on the first night, we accosted the waiter and asked about places worth visiting in the area, in addition to the obvious Border Abbeys. The answer was unequivocal: we must go to
Traquair (pronounced "Trah-Queer"), which is the oldest continuously inhabited house in Scotland. The house dates back to 1107, and has been lived in by the Start family since 1491. Always staunchly Catholic, it has played host to 27 Scottish kings and queens, including Mary Queen of Scots. It also hosted Bonnie Prince Charlie prior to the 1745 Jacobite rebellion; and, on leaving, he gave instructions that the great Bear Gates should be locked behind him and not opened again until there was a Stuart on the British throne. Needless to say they're still locked...
Before going into the house, we went for a walk around the walled garden. It was dull and drizzly, but this also meant that we were the only ones there.
It's clear from the amount of lichen on this apple tree quite how damp this part of the world gets.
Because Traquair has always been Catholic, its inhabitants spent a very long time out of favour with the British monarchy. This meant that the family were relatively poor, so couldn't afford to renovate or "improve" the building, especially during the Victorian era. As a result the house is completely unspoiled, and - apart from the two wings - pretty much as it was originally built.
The building above houses the
Traquair Brewery, which is responsible for producing several highly potent beverages. It originally produced beer for the family, but was resurrected as an experiment in the early 1960s by the 20th Laird, Peter Maxwell Stuart. It's now very much a going concern, and helps to supplement the house's income (along with being the most amazing wedding venue).
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