Traquair House

Discover how Scotland’s oldest inhabited house inspired one of the nation’s finest novels

Scotland’s oldest inhabited house has undoubtedly a few stories to share – the estate has been visited by 27 Kings and Queens, after all.

And it has welcomed great literary royalty over the centuries too.

A travelling Robert Burns visited Innerleithen and Traquair on his grand tour of Scotland in 1787, and Sir Walter Scott – just a teenager when Burns passed through – would go on to be a regular visitor to the house.

It is thought that Scott drew great inspiration from Traquair for his fictional estate of Tully Veolan, the home of the Baron Bradwardine and his daughter in Waverley. Reading his description of the castle’s grand entrance, it’s impossible not to picture the iconic Bear Gates at the top of Traquair’s main drive – closed in 1745 following Bonnie Prince Charlie’s visit and vowed never to be reopened until the Stuarts returned to the throne:

‘In the centre of the exterior barrier was the upper gate of the avenue, opening under an archway, battlemented on top, and adorned with two large weather-beaten mutilated masses of upright stone, which, if the tradition of the hamlet could be trusted, had once represented, at least had been once designed to represent, two rampant bears, the supporters of the family of Bardwardine.’

Scott goes on to describe a grand, tree-lined avenue and central courtyard – mirroring the approach to the historic house and grounds at the heart of the Tweed Valley.

Traquair is also home to two fine libraries. The first was created between 1700 and 1740 and remains largely untouched, with a second overflow library bringing the house’s collection to close to 5,000 books.

Nestled within the shelves are over 100 volumes printed before 1600 – including a copy of the fifth Koberger Bible printed in 1479 by Anton Koberger. It is an example of one of the first mass produced Bibles that appeared with the arrival of printing a decade earlier and features delightful gold and coloured initials throughout. A rare treasure!

As the house has remained in the family for over 900 years, the Second Library is packed with a wealth of letters and papers chronicling the fascinating lives of Traquair’s long line of residents.

Further info

The gorgeous grounds at Traquair are the ideal backdrop to year-round events including promenade performances of Shakespeare’s classics and the annual Beyond Borders International Festival. The festival offers a platform for writers, diplomats, philosophers and politicians from diverse cultures to come together to help find peaceful resolution to the world’s conflicts.

Image credits: Visit Scotland; Traquair House