Paxton is a small village near the B6461 and the B6460, in the pre-1975 ancient county of
Berwickshire
Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of t ...
, now an administrative area of the
Scottish Borders region 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 ...
. It lies 1 mile west of the border with
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land ...
, near
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census reco ...
. It is a traditional, country village surrounded by farmland, and its closest market towns are
Duns
Duns may refer to:
* Duns, Scottish Borders, a town in Berwickshire, Scotland
** Duns railway station
** Duns F.C., a football club
** Duns RFC, a rugby football club
** Battle of Duns, an engagement fought in 1372
* Duns Scotus ( 1265/66–1308 ...
and
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census reco ...
.
Paxton is beside the
River Tweed
The River Tweed, or Tweed Water ( gd, Abhainn Thuaidh, sco, Watter o Tweid, cy, Tuedd), 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 ...
which is the border at that point and on
Whiteadder Water
Whiteadder Water is a river in East Lothian and Berwickshire, Scotland. It also flows for a very short distance through Northumberland before joining the River Tweed. In common with the headwaters of the Biel Water it rises on the low hillside ...
. Paxton is also the location of
Paxton House.
Linking Scotland and England, the nearby
Union Chain Bridge, opened in 1820, was the longest
wrought iron
Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a wood-like "grain" ...
suspension bridge in the world. It was also the first of its kind in Britain.
History
Traditionally home to villagers working on the land or in the salmon fishery on the Tweed, Paxton is said to be the birthplace of the song ''
Robin Adair'':
''Paxton's a fine snug place, Robin Adair,''
''It's a wondrous couthie place, Robin Adair;''
''Let Whiteadder rin a spate,''
''Or the wind blow at ony rate,''
''Yet I'll meet thee on the gait, Robin Adair.''
See also
*
Paxton House
External links
CANMORE/RCAHMS record for Paxton, Village HallCANMORE/RCAHMS record for Paxton, GeneralSCRAN image: Salmon Fishers Hauling In Their Catch At Paxton On The River TweedGEOGRAPH image: Church of Scotland, Paxton Paxton Village Hall official website
Berwickshire
Villages in the Scottish Borders
Hutton Castle
Hutton Castle is located in the Scottish Borders, overlooking the Whiteadder Water. It stands southeast of Chirnside and west of Berwick-on-Tweed. It has also been known as Hatton Hall and Hutton Hall.
History
Originally a property of the Hom ...
{{Borders-geo-stub