Coldstream
Encyclopedia
Coldstream is a small town in the Borders district
of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Tweed
in Berwickshire
, while Northumberland
in England
lies to the south bank, with Cornhill-on-Tweed
the nearest village. A former burgh
, Coldstream is the home of the Coldstream Guards
, a regiment
in the British Army
, and is the location where Edward I of England
invaded Scotland in 1296.
In February 1316 during the Wars of Scottish Independence
, Sir James Douglas
defeated a numerically superior force of Gascon soldiery led by Edmond de Caillou
at the Skaithmuir
to the north of the town.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Coldstream was a popular centre for runaway marriage
s, in a similar vein to Gretna Green
, as it lay on a major road (now the A697
). Notable buildings in the town include the toll house
where marriages were conducted, and The Hirsel, which is the family seat of the Earls of Home.
An imposing monument to Charles Marjoribanks, MP for Berwickshire
, stands at the east end of the town, close to the Coldstream Bridge.
Alec Douglas-Home
, who served as prime minister of the United Kingdom
from 1963 to 1964, is buried in Coldstream.
Henderson Park has good views of the river and "Nun's Walk", the closest one can get to the water.
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Tweed
River Tweed
The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is long and flows primarily through the Borders region of Great Britain. It rises on Tweedsmuir at Tweed's Well near where the Clyde, draining northwest, and the Annan draining south also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" as the Border saying...
in Berwickshire
Berwickshire
Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482...
, while Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
lies to the south bank, with Cornhill-on-Tweed
Cornhill-on-Tweed
Cornhill-on-Tweed is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, in England about to the east of Coldstream.To the south and west of the village are the hamlets of West Learmouth and East Learmouth.- History :...
the nearest village. A former burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
, Coldstream is the home of the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
, a regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, and is the location where Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
invaded Scotland in 1296.
In February 1316 during the Wars of Scottish Independence
Wars of Scottish Independence
The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries....
, Sir James Douglas
James Douglas, Lord of Douglas
Sir James Douglas , , was a Scottish soldier and knight who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence.-Early life:...
defeated a numerically superior force of Gascon soldiery led by Edmond de Caillou
Edmond de Caillou
Edmond de Caillou or Raymond de Caillou, was a Gascon soldier who fought during the First War of Scottish Independence.-Life:...
at the Skaithmuir
Battle of Skaithmuir
The Battle of Skaithmuir was a skirmish of the First War of Scottish Independence. It took place near Coldstream, on the Anglo-Scottish border, in February 1316. The skirmish was fought between the Scottish captain Sir James Douglas, and an English raiding party from Berwick upon Tweed, under...
to the north of the town.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Coldstream was a popular centre for runaway marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
s, in a similar vein to Gretna Green
Gretna Green
Gretna Green is a village in the south of Scotland famous for runaway weddings. It is in Dumfries and Galloway, near the mouth of the River Esk and was historically the first village in Scotland, following the old coaching route from London to Edinburgh. Gretna Green has a railway station serving...
, as it lay on a major road (now the A697
A697 road
The A697 is a road that can be used an alternative to the A1 for those travelling between Scotland and England via the North East.It connects Morpeth on the A1 to the A68 at Oxton, near Edinburgh...
). Notable buildings in the town include the toll house
Toll house
A tollhouse or toll house is a building with accommodation for a toll collector, beside a tollgate on a toll road or canal. Many tollhouses were built by turnpike trusts in England, Wales and Scotland during the 18th and early 19th centuries...
where marriages were conducted, and The Hirsel, which is the family seat of the Earls of Home.
An imposing monument to Charles Marjoribanks, MP for Berwickshire
Berwickshire
Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482...
, stands at the east end of the town, close to the Coldstream Bridge.
Alec Douglas-Home
Alec Douglas-Home
Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, KT, PC , known as The Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963 and as Sir Alec Douglas-Home from 1963 to 1974, was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1963 to October 1964.He is the last...
, who served as prime minister of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from 1963 to 1964, is buried in Coldstream.
Henderson Park has good views of the river and "Nun's Walk", the closest one can get to the water.
See also
- Coldstream BridgeColdstream BridgeColdstream Bridge, linking Coldstream, Scottish Borders with Cornhill-on-Tweed, Northumberland, is an 18th century Grade II* listed bridge between England and Scotland, across the River Tweed. A plaque on the bridge commemorates the 1787 visit of the poet Robert Burns to the Coldstream...
- Coldstream F.C.Coldstream F.C.Coldstream Football Club are a Scottish football club from Coldstream in the Scottish Borders. The team plays in the East of Scotland Football League and home matches are played at Home Park. The team's strip is blue and white. The team was formed in 1895 ....
- List of places in the Scottish Borders
- List of places in Scotland