Liz Hanson – författare

Peeblesshire and its attractive county town are situated in Upper Tweeddale, an area of great beauty and tranquillity. Tucked into the Borders Hills, with the River Tweed at its heart, Peebles has much to offer both tourists and residents, including walking, fishing and cycling or simply strolling along the river banks or exploring the charming high street. The city of Edinburgh is a mere 22 miles north but Peebles retains its market town identity and is very much part of The Borders. Peebles was created a Royal Burgh in 1367 by David II. Some remnants of its past are easily seen such as the thirteenth century Neidpath Castle, dramatically towering above a meander in the gorge; others remain only as traces, like the east port of the sixteenth-century town wall. This collection of photographs portrays some of the changes that have taken place to Peebles and its environs as the town has developed and grown.

The unique profile of Edinburgh was born of a marriage between nature's sculpture and man's architecture. The epicentre is Castle Rock - a volcanic plug - which constantly draws the eye from all parts of the city. Sloping down from it is a jagged outline of impossibly high medieval tenements lining the Royal Mile which is punctuated at the foot of the tail of glacial debris by Holyrood Palace. That Edinburgh is beautiful is not in doubt.It is a city blended in to the countryside, with the Firth of Forth as the northern backdrop, a necklace of hills in all other directions. The history, however, has been less harmonious, largely due to warring with the English, but also because of religious turmoil and social unrest. The vibrant capital today draws thousands of visitors, not only for the historical sights, but also for the annual International Festivals of the arts, music and literature.

East Lothian, previously known as Haddingtonshire, has both benefitted and suffered from its strategic location between Scotland's capital city and England's northernmost county. Prior to 1707, the region bore the brunt of battles between the two countries, not only on land but along 32 miles of coastline. The rich, fertile soils, on the other hand, have produced wealth through agriculture and the patchwork of large, neat fields are synonymous with the landscape of East Lothian today. The proximity to Edinburgh makes it a prime location from which to commute. Attractive pantiled properties abound throughout the villages and countryside, all within short distances of the clean beaches or links golf courses, while tranquillity can also be found in the woodlands or gentle moorland slopes of the Lammermuir Hills. The reminders of troubled times can be viewed today by a stroll around a castle, but twenty-first-century East Lothian is thriving.

The history of Peebles spans nine centuries, so it is inevitable that there is a wealth of history in which to delve for nuggets of interest. David I of Scotland used to visit Peebles Castle in the late 1100s to hunt, the parish church of St Andrew was founded in 1195, and the town was made into a royal burgh by David II in 1367. The River Tweed did not have a bridge at Peebles until 1467, just a few years after burgh records were started during the reign of James II. In the sixteenth century, the town was surrounded by a wall with defensive bastel houses, remains of which can still be seen.The social history changed dramatically with the arrival of the railways in the nineteenth century as woollen mills took advantage of both the fast flow of the river and easy transportation of goods; the trains also brought flocks of tourists to the picturesque setting, establishing Peebles as a holiday location. Traces of the town’s fascinating history are visible to the enquiring eye and local author Liz Hanson endeavours to uncover some of the secrets of Peebles.