Kelso Abbey

On our trip back from North Berwick in Scotland to Berwick upon Tweed in England we decided to detour out to Kelso to see the ruins of the famous abbey that became victim of the border wars between England and Scotland.

History of Kelso Abbey

Kelso Abbey is what remains of a Scottish abbey founded in the 12th century by a community of Tironensian monks first brought to Scotland in the reign of Alexander I. It occupies ground overlooking the confluence of the Tweed and Teviot waters, the site of what was once the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh and the intended southern centre for the developing Scottish kingdom at that time. Kelso thus became the seat of a pre-eminently powerful abbacy in the heart of the Scottish Borders.

In the 14th century, Roxburgh became a focus for periodic attack and occupation by English forces and Kelso's monastic community survived a number of fluctuations in control over the area, restoring the abbey infrastructure after episodes of destruction and ultimately retaining Scottish identity. From 1460 onwards, life for the abbey probably grew more settled, but came once again under attack in the early sixteenth century. By the mid-century, through a turbulent combination of events, the abbey effectively ceased to function and the building fell into ruin.

CLICK HERE for more on the history of Kelso Abbey

Inscription on one of the grave stones

The information board at the gate to the abbey - Click to read

Kelso lies next to the River Tweed

All images taken on a Fujifilm Finepix X100 with 23mm f2 Fujinon lens and WCL-X100 wide angle converter
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