Bowhill House

Discover the magnificent Buccleuch family home and its legacy to a literary great

Nestled between forests and hills on the outskirts of Selkirk sits the magnificent country home of the Duke of Buccleuch.

The stories of the Buccleuch family and Bowhill are some of the oldest told in Scotland’s history – with the Buccleuch name itself originating in the 10th century. King Robert the Bruce gifted the land around to the Scott clan (ancestors of today’s Buccleuch family) in 1322, and the impressive house that stands proud in the grounds today was brought to life almost 500 years later.

Neighbour and friend, Sir Walter Scott, was a kinsman of the Scotts of Buccleuch and a regular visitor to Bowhill. The writer’s admiration for the ancestral home was recognised in his famous narrative poem of 1805, The Lay of the Last Minstrel:

So pass'd the winter's day; but still,

When summer smil'd on sweet Bowhill,

And July's eve, with balmy breath,

Wav'd the blue-bells on Newark heath;

When throstles sung in Harehead-shaw,

And corn was green on Carterhaugh,

And flourish'd, broad, Blackandro's oak,

The aged Harper's soul awoke!

‘Sweet Bowhill’ would remain close to Scott’s heart, with the natural and historical landscapes around continuing to inspire and shape his writing over the years to come.

It’s clear that the spirit of Scott lives on too at the Buccleuch family home. A room devoted to the writer is a highlight for many a literary visitor; it features a magnificent collection of rare books and early editions, along with a fine portrait of Sir Walter Scott with his dog, Camp, by Sir Henry Raeburn.

The pioneer of the historical novel was further honoured by the Duchess and Duke of Buccleuch in 2009 with the founding of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. Now under the management of the Abbotsford Trust, the prestigious prize recognises writers of historical fiction whose tales are set at least 60 years ago – a nod to the subtitle of Scott’s Waverley: ‘Tis Sixty Years Since’.

There are further connections to Scott in the picturesque town of Selkirk just a short drive away. It’s difficult to miss the 100-foot spire that rises above Sir Walter Scott’s Courtroom in the town’s marketplace – the building from which the writer dispensed justice for almost 30 years – and the grand, cloaked statue of Scott that stands tall in front.

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Scott wasn’t the only novelist in the neighbourhood inspired by the Border country. Selkirk-born, Andrew Lang (1844-1912), was a writer, poet and Scottish historian best remembered for his collection of folk tales and fairy stories. He lived most of his life in London where he contributed to the study of anthropology, literary criticism and the classics – but some of his earliest works included ballades and rhymes with a nod to his life spent in Scotland. Ballade of the Tweed is a must-read for any visitor to the area.

Image credits: Bowhill House