#river tweed

[scotianostra]

On July 26th 1820 the Union Chain Bridge, across the River Tweed was opened.

The Union Chain Bridge spans the River Tweed between Horncliffe, Northumberland, England and Fishwick, Borders, Scotland. It was designed by Captain (later Sir) Samuel Brown RN, who held patents for the design of the chains, although Brown altered the tower and abutments on the suggestion of John Rennie. When it opened in 1820 it was the longest wrought iron suspension bridge in the world with a span of 137 metres (449 ft), and the first vehicular bridge of its type in the country.

It cost £7,700 to construct and pre-dates the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the Menai Bridge, which are of similar design . Today it continues to carry traffic, and visitors can enjoy pleasant walks along the river bank. Just up the hill from the Union Chain Bridge on the English side is the Chain Bridge Honey Farm, where there is situated a permanent exhibition on chain suspension bridges.

Downstream on the Scottish side is Paxton House, where visitors can see Alexander Naismith's depiction of Union Chain Bridge, painted before its actual completion, as seen in the second picture.

Before the opening of the Union Bridge, crossing the river at this point involved an 11-mile via Berwick upon Tweed. Until 1885, tolls were charged for crossing the bridge; the toll cottage, being at the English end, was demolished in 1955.

The bridge reopened in 2023 after a major £10.5 million restoration. it has been recognised as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, joining the likes of Sydney Harbour Bridge and The Eiffel Tower.

Much more on the bridge here http://www.unionbridgefriends.com/history/

[paintingsandhistory]

Sir Walter Scott (1771 - 1832) Novelist and Poet

Artist: Sir William Allan (Scottish, 178218-50)

Date: About 1844

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland

Description

Known as ‘The Minstrel of the Scottish Border’, this full-length portrait shows Sir Walter Scott against a background of moorland, with two lively terriers at his feet. The landscape is that of the area surrounding his beloved Abbotsford home in the Scottish Borders, on the banks of the river Tweed. The peculiar pose and characteristic clothing appear in several other works by Allan, one of which is a quick sketch painted during a visit to Abbotsford in September 1831. The present portrait was painted some ten years after Scott’s death, and exhibited first in 1846. Throughout the nineteenth century, Walter Scott’s fame and influence were immense, with fellow authors in Europe and beyond classing him with Shakespeare, Cervantes and Chaucer as one of the great universal writers.

[pershing100]

River Tweed at Berwick Upon Tweed

[livesunique]

Abbotsford House, Melrose, UK

[mostly-history]

Abbotsford House from the River Tweed (Scotland, c. 1890 - c. 1900).

[benvironment]

Well the Ramblers Scotland Gathering is now over for another year, and folk are heading home. There were another five walks on offer on the Sunday but I opted for the longest of the lot, a varied 13 mile route from Selkirk to Melrose....via the Three Brethren, Ettrick Water and the Tweed.

Loads to see along the way, and it was heartening to see just how much wildlife there was along the rivers. Dippers, grey wagtails, loads of mayflies, fish jumping, herons, all kinds of wildfowl and an impressive number of sand martins put on a grand show for us. It wasn't the warmest day but I put my feet into the Ettrick at lunch time to try and preempt the usual post-walk pains.....and it gave the upland burns in the Cairngorms a run for their money in terms of cold :-o

Big thanks to Eildon Ramblers for organising this year's walks. It's a lot of work, coming up with a programme that satisfies the many different grades and lengths of walk that folk expect, and then reccying them, getting background info together, backmarking etc, and it's all done by volunteers. A great weekend in great company :)

[henrifelix]

River Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed Northumberland England United Kingdom

[scotianostra]

A wee sojourn in Berwick so,as I have pint in the Brewers Arms in Marygate in the town centre, here's a bit of the history which links it with Scotland.

At less than three miles from the border between Scotland and England it is said that Berwick changed hands an incredible 12 times over the centuries. Few towns suffered as much with the barbarities of war as the border town.

Each crisis brought repairs and improvements to the fortifications, culminating in the great artillery ramparts begun in 1558. These survive largely intact and make Berwick one of the most important fortified towns of Europe, the original castle here was built by David I of Scotland about 1127.

The prosperous royal burgh of Berwick had been part of Scotland for more than three centuries when, in 1292, Edward I of England declared John de Balliol King of Scotland in Berwick Castle. Edward’s feudal claims over Balliol soon led to Scottish discontent and to Scotland’s alliance with France. English policy was to make war. Berwick was captured in 1296 but retaken by Robert Bruce in 1318. The town changed sides several times before finally being recaptured by the English in 1482.

Although ceded in 1482 it wasn't until 1502 that Scotland formally acknowledged Berwick as an English town in the Treaty of Perpetual Peace. The treaty only lasted until 1513 whenthe French invoked the Auld Alliance after England's Henry VII waged war on France and King James IV launched a disastrous invasion of England which ended with him dying with "The Flower of Scotland" on Braxton Moor at The Battle of Flodden.