Allanton, Scottish Borders facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Allanton |
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 Allanton Village |
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 Allanton
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| OS grid reference | NT8654 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Duns |
| Postcode district | TD11 |
| Dialling code | 01890 |
| Police | Lothian and Borders |
| Fire | Lothian and Borders |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament |
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| Scottish Parliament | |
Allanton (which means Baile Alain in Scottish Gaelic) is a small village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It used to be part of Berwickshire. For many years, it was part of the large estate of Blackadder House. This grand house was taken down around 1925.
Contents
Where is Allanton?
Allanton is located in Edrom Parish. This is a countryside area in east central Berwickshire. It is surrounded by other parishes like Bunkle, Preston, and Chirnside.
The village is about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Chirnside. It is also about 6 miles (9.7 km) west of the border with Northumberland, England. The closest towns for shopping and services are Duns and Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Allanton sits high above where two rivers meet. These rivers are the Whiteadder and the Blackadder Waters. There are two bridges here. Allanton Bridge crosses the Whiteadder Water and was built in 1841. Blackadder Bridge crosses the Blackadder Water and was built in 1851. The word 'Adder' comes from an old English word meaning 'running water' or 'stream'.
History and Legends
Powerful Families: Blackadders and Homes
Allanton village was traditionally part of the lands of the Clan Blackadder. This was a strong family who lived near the border with England. The Blackadders were often involved in fights along the Borders. They gained more land from King James II of Scotland for bravely fighting off English raids.
In 1518, the Blackadder lands were taken over by the Clan Home family. This happened when the daughters of Robert Blackadder were forced to marry younger sons of the Home family. A different branch of the Blackadders tried to challenge this, but they were not successful. Sir John Home was later given the title Baronet of Blackadder in 1671. Today, Wedderburn Castle is still owned by Georgina Home-Robertson, a descendant of Robert Blackadder.
The Ghost of Pearlin Jean
Allanbank House was once connected to Blackadder House. It was said to be haunted by a ghost called Pearlin Jean. People believed she was a French woman, perhaps even a nun. She was the lover of a man named Mr. Stuart, who later became the first baronet of Allanbank.
Jean was known for the very thin, see-through lace she wore. When Mr. Stuart decided to leave her and return to Scotland, Jean tried to stop him. He told his coachman to drive on. Jean fell, and Stuart's carriage ran over her, causing her death.
Life in the Village
Allanton is mainly one street. It has many single-story cottages built close together. The oldest ones were built in the late 1700s and early 1800s. They had gardens on land given by the Steuart family of Allanbank.
In the 1900s, Allanton was known for its tailor shops. There were three of them! The last one closed in the 1960s. Now, all three are private homes. The village also has a pub and restaurant, a village hall, and a children's playground. The village Post Office closed in 2006.
Allanbrae is a building at the northwest end of the village. It was built in 1854 by John Lessels. It used to be a school for the daughters of important staff from the Blackadder Estate.
The Old Bakehouse is at the southern end of the western row of cottages. It is an old stone cottage from the early 1800s. It used to be the bakery for the Blackadder estate. Next to it, Sheaf House was once the baker's shop.
Allanton Village Hall used to be the schoolroom. It is in the middle of the village's western row of cottages.
Opposite the hall is Holmeknowe. This is a two-story stone house. It has interesting windows with three parts. The middle window used to be the doorway to a tailor's shop.
Brunton House is a large Victorian house made of stone. The Brunton family were famous tailors in Edinburgh. They moved their business to Allanton in 1873 and built this house in 1897. It is now a family home, but it still has many features from the tailor's shop.
The Allanton Inn is at the southern end of the eastern row of houses. It was once two cottages that were joined together in the 1830s. It is connected to the Old Fire Station, which was originally a stable for the Inn.
Other buildings in the village were also part of the Blackadder Estate. These include Smiddy House, Lydd Cottage, Westside Cottage, and Carter's House. Many houses in Allanton and on the Blackadder Estate share a similar style. They have Tudor-style hood moulds (decorative stone over windows) and roofs with green, red, and grey slates arranged like fish scales.
Blackadder House
At the start of Allanton's main street, you can still see two gatehouses. These are Lydd Cottage and Westside Cottage. They marked the entrance to the former Blackadder House. This was a grand house built in the Palladian style, which was popular in the 1700s. It was built around an older tower house.
Many places nearby, like Blackadder Mains farm and the village of Allanton, were all part of the Blackadder Estate. This estate surrounded Blackadder House. The house had many servants, and many of them lived in the village. In the 1800s, the Boswall family owned the estate. When Euphemia Boswall inherited it in 1830, she was one of the richest young women in Britain.
During World War I, the government took over the mansion to house soldiers. The soldiers damaged the building, even using parts of the grand staircase for firewood. After the war, the government refused to pay to fix the house. Because of problems in farming at the time, the house was closed up. It was pulled down around 1925.
Not much is left of the house today. There is a decorative walkway with a stone railing. This was behind the house, cut into the rock of a cliff overlooking the Blackadder river. Where the house once stood, trees were planted. Below the walkway, you can still see the remains of the old hydro-electric power house. Blackadder House was said to be the first house in Berwickshire to have electric lights!
Other buildings that served the estate still remain. Blackadder Cottage, also called the 'Butler's House', has two impressive lion statues on its roof. It sits high above the Blackadder Water. Allanbank Courtyard is a U-shaped farm building that started being built around 1780. There is also a Walled Garden with a Summerhouse, and several bridges over the Blackadder Water. A large stable building with a tower and a tall, pointed steeple also survived when the house was destroyed.
