Aikwood Tower facts for kids
.jpg)
_by_Tom_Scott_RSA.jpg)
Aikwood Tower (also known as Oakwood Tower) is a historic building from the 16th century. It's a type of strong, tall house called a tower house, found in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. You can find it about 4 kilometers (or 2.5 miles) southwest of the town of Selkirk, right by the Ettrick Water. This tower is considered a very important historical site, known as a Category A listed building. This means it's protected because of its special history and architecture.
What is Aikwood Tower?
Aikwood Tower is a great example of a Scottish tower house. These buildings were popular in Scotland hundreds of years ago. They were built to be strong and easy to defend, often against raids or attacks. Aikwood Tower was built in the year 1535. Imagine, that's almost 500 years ago!
A Look at Its History
For many years, Aikwood Tower was a home. But by the late 1700s, people stopped living there. It became a storage place for a nearby farm. It was left empty for a long time, slowly getting older and more worn out.
From Ruin to Home Again
In the early 1990s, something exciting happened. A famous person named David Steel decided to bring Aikwood Tower back to life. He was a leader of the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom. He and his wife worked hard to restore the old tower. They wanted to make it a comfortable home again, while still keeping its historical look.
The restoration was a big project. After all the work, David Steel and his wife moved into Aikwood Tower in 1992. They lived there for twenty years, until 2012. Then, they decided to move to a smaller flat in Selkirk that was better for their needs.
Aikwood Tower Today
Even though David Steel and his wife moved out, Aikwood Tower is still a special place. Today, David Steel's son, Rory, and his wife look after the tower. They make sure this amazing piece of Scottish history is cared for. It stands as a reminder of the past, showing how people lived and built homes centuries ago.
