Galashiels
Encyclopedia
Galashiels is a burgh
in the Scottish Borders
, on the Gala Water
river. The name is often shortened to "Gala" (icon ).
Galashiels is a major commercial centre for the Scottish Borders. The town is known for textile
making, and is the location of Heriot-Watt University
's School of Textiles and Design, Galashiels Academy
and one campus of the Borders College, which as of 2009 has moved and now joins with the University.
To the west of the town there is an ancient earthwork known as the Picts
' Work Ditch or Catrail.
It extends many miles south and its height and width varies. There is no agreement about the purpose of the earthwork. There is another ancient site on the north west edge of the town, at Torwoodlee, an Iron Age hill fort, with a later Broch
built in the Western quarter of the hill fort, and overlapping some of the defensive ditches of the original fort. The Romans
destroyed the broch in AD 140, soon after it was completed.
The town's coat of arms shows two foxes reaching up to eat plums from a tree, and the motto is Sour Plums pronounced in Scots as soor ploom
s. It is a reference to an incident in 1337 when a raiding party of English
soldiers were picking wild plums close to the town and were caught by Scots who came across them by chance and slaughtered them all.
On a hillside to the north of the town, Buckholm
Tower is a prominent structure which dates back to 1582 and replaced another tower built on the same site but destroyed around 1570.
In 1599 Galashiels received its burgh Charter, an event celebrated every summer since the 1930s by the "Braw Lads Gathering" with riders on horseback parading through the town.
Galashiels' population grew fast with through the textile trade with several mills. A connection with the town's mill history, the Mill Lade, still links the town from near the site of mills at Wheatlands Road, to Netherdale, via Wilderhaugh, Bank Street, the Fountain and next to the Tesco/retail development at Paton Street.
wrote two poems about Galashiels, "Sae Fair Her Hair" and "Braw Lads". The latter is sung by the some of the townsfolk each year at the Braw Lads Gathering. Sir Walter Scott
built his home, Abbotsford
, just across the River Tweed
from Galashiels. The Sir Walter Scott Way
, a long-distance path from Moffat
to Cockburnspath
passes through Galashiels.
There is some largely good-hearted rivalry between some of the Galashiels townsfolk and those of other border towns, particularly Hawick
, the largest town in the Scottish Borders. Galashiels's citizens often refer to their rival as dirty Hawick while the 'Teries' retort that Galashiels's residents are pail merks, supposedly because their town was the last to be plumbed into the mains water system and so residents had to rely on buckets as toilets. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/corpus/search/document.php?documentid=1572
A tourism guide, based on the experiences of travellers, once described Galashiels as a place "which is hard to avoid" due to it being a transport hub and centrally based in the Borders and being "unwelcoming during the day" and having an "air of menace" about it at night.
Galashiels was also home to the author of the famous Scottish song, "Coulters Candy
". Robert Coltart was a weaver in the town, but made confectionery also in near-by Melrose. The song was created as an advertisement, and hence was renamed as "Sugar Candy" when played by the BBC. The song is possibly better known by the first line of its chorus - "Ally, bally, ally bally bee". Coltart died in 1890.
between Tweedbank, a suburb south of Galashiels, all the way to Edinburgh Waverley station. At the time of writing the project has been handed to the national transport agency Transport Scotland with on site work expected to start in 2011 and completion around the end of 2013. It is estimated to cost in the region of £235 - 295 million.
According to the website waverleyrailwayproject.co.uk, "The railway will deliver major economic and social development opportunities and is one of the most sustainable public transport proposals in Scotland, saving 450,000 tonnes of CO2."
Primary schools
Secondary schools
Higher education
Netherdale in Galashiels is home to Heriot-Watt University's School of Textiles and Design, which is also a shared campus of Borders College.
, Boots
pharmacy, Halfords
, Marks & Spencer, Matalan
, McDonald's
, Next, Subway
fast-food outlet and Tesco Extra. Most of these are on former mill and industrial estate sites, while other disused mills have been converted to living accommodation.
church, in danger of being lost, but still standing sandwiched between mills and shop buildings on High Street, Botany Lane and Roxburgh Street.
Netherdale is home to Gala RFC
and Gala Fairydean FC. The football
club's main stand was built in 1963 to designs by Peter Womersley
, based in near-by Gattonside
. The cantilever
ed concrete structure, in the Brutalist style
, is now protected as a Category B listed building.
Balmoral connects with Windyknowe and Gala Park where there are some stone built properties dating from the Victorian era as well as private housing from the 70s and 80s near to the Victoria Park.
at the north-west of the town. Comprises two large streets (Halliburton Place and Glendinning Terrace) that run parallel with Magdala Terrace and further on Bristol Terrace, which make up part of the A7. Because of the location, this area has spectacular views across Galashiels and over to Meigle Hill.
, that carries on to Clovenfords
, Innerleithen
and Peebles
. Kilnknowe Place, Balnakiel Terrace, Torwoodlee Road, Pringle Lane and Blynlee Lane, mainly ex-local authority houses from the 1970s, are streets in this area, and are within a ten-minute walk of the town centre
This area looks across the valley of Gala Water
and has spectacular views of Buckholm Tower. The early 2000s saw new homes being built in Woodlea and William Law Gardens. Kilnknowe Caravan Park provides caravan accommodation for locals and in-comers.
Borders Campus is located here also. Netherdale is a possible location for one of the two new primary schools needing built in Galashiels due to the town expanding.
, Darnick
, Melrose
and Newstead
to the A68
. This is the preferred route from Carlisle to Edinburgh as the A7 loses its Trunk Road
status here. This area is considered one of the most desirable areas to live in due to its modern construction and design.
constructed in the style of a Peel Tower fronted by a statue of a Border Reiver.
Galashiels also has a multi-screen cinema on Market Street and along with several restaurants and night-clubs gives Galashiels a very urban and city-like feel despite its comparatively small population
. The town is also the proposed terminus of restored Waverley Line
.
Although now technically separate, Tweedbank's population is often lumped in with Galashiels, with a total area population of 14361 recorded in the 2001 census.
is rebuilt. A section of the Black Path links to the Southern Upland Way
.
Not formally part of one area or another, there are also streets of former mill terraces just off the town centre, including at St John Street, Gala Park and Scott Street. These link with parts of the Old Town and bear similarities here with blocks of flats dating from the 1960s and 70s evident among the terraces.
Also away from town are places such as Duke Street, King Street and Union Street where again, mill terraces dominate but their former associated workplaces have long since been demolished to be replaced with modern retail or business units.
Duke Street almost stands alone but was once connected to Wilderhaugh with terraced rows such as Queen Street once forming an almost unbroken link.
There are also 1960s/70s flats mixed with terraces around Netherdale, including at Dale Street and Greenbank Street.
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...
in the Scottish Borders
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...
, on the Gala Water
Gala Water
The Gala Water is a river in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland and a tributary of the River Tweed. It is sometimes known as the "Gala", which nickname is also shared with Galashiels, which it flows through. The "Braw Lads O Gala Watter" is a song about people from Galashiels.-Gallery:...
river. The name is often shortened to "Gala" (icon ).
Galashiels is a major commercial centre for the Scottish Borders. The town is known for textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
making, and is the location of Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University is a university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The name commemorates George Heriot, the 16th century financier to King James, and James Watt, the great 18th century inventor and engineer....
's School of Textiles and Design, Galashiels Academy
Galashiels Academy
Galashiels Academy is the high school in Galashiels, Scotland, that serves the surrounding area as well as Stow . Although refounded in 1938, the school's history goes back as far as 1696. -Notable former pupils:...
and one campus of the Borders College, which as of 2009 has moved and now joins with the University.
History
Picts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
' Work Ditch or Catrail.
It extends many miles south and its height and width varies. There is no agreement about the purpose of the earthwork. There is another ancient site on the north west edge of the town, at Torwoodlee, an Iron Age hill fort, with a later Broch
Broch
A broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure of a type found only in Scotland. Brochs include some of the most sophisticated examples of drystone architecture ever created, and belong to the classification "complex Atlantic Roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s....
built in the Western quarter of the hill fort, and overlapping some of the defensive ditches of the original fort. The Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
destroyed the broch in AD 140, soon after it was completed.
The town's coat of arms shows two foxes reaching up to eat plums from a tree, and the motto is Sour Plums pronounced in Scots as soor ploom
Soor ploom
A Soor ploom is a sharp flavoured, round, green boiled sweet originally associated with Galashiels, Scotland. They are sold loose by weight in paper bags, traditionally in "quarters" — a quarter of a pound....
s. It is a reference to an incident in 1337 when a raiding party of English
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...
soldiers were picking wild plums close to the town and were caught by Scots who came across them by chance and slaughtered them all.
On a hillside to the north of the town, Buckholm
Buckholm
Buckholm is a Farm near to the A7, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland.Places nearby include Abbotsford, the Bow Castle Broch, Clovenfords, Darnick, Eildon, the Gala Water, the Lugate Water, and Stow.Buckholm Tower is at the foot of Buckholm Hill....
Tower is a prominent structure which dates back to 1582 and replaced another tower built on the same site but destroyed around 1570.
In 1599 Galashiels received its burgh Charter, an event celebrated every summer since the 1930s by the "Braw Lads Gathering" with riders on horseback parading through the town.
Galashiels' population grew fast with through the textile trade with several mills. A connection with the town's mill history, the Mill Lade, still links the town from near the site of mills at Wheatlands Road, to Netherdale, via Wilderhaugh, Bank Street, the Fountain and next to the Tesco/retail development at Paton Street.
Notable people
- Craig ChalmersCraig ChalmersCraig Minto Chalmers is a former Scottish rugby union footballer for Melrose.-International career:The fly-half represented Scotland and the British Lions at international level...
- John Collins (footballer born 1968)
- Russell Fairgrieve
- Douglas Ford (GC)Douglas Ford (GC)Captain Douglas Ford was posthumously awarded the George Cross for conspicuous gallantry.. His citation was published in the London Gazette on the 18th of March, 1946....
- Danny GalbraithDanny GalbraithDaniel James "Danny" Galbraith is a Scottish professional football player who is currently playing for Scottish Premier League side Hibernian.-Manchester United:...
- Arthur LapworthArthur LapworthArthur Lapworth was a Scottish chemist.He was born in Galashiels, Scotland, the son of geologist Charles Lapworth and educated at St Andrew's and King Edward's School, Birmingham. He graduated in Chemistry from Mason College...
(1872–1941) Scottish chemist - Judith Miller (antiques expert)Judith Miller (antiques expert)Judith Miller is an antiques expert, writer and broadcaster based in the UK.-Early career:Born in Galashiels, Scotland, Miller first began collecting antiques while studying history at Edinburgh University...
- Andrew MurdisonAndrew MurdisonAndrew Murdison was a Scottish rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1920s who at representative level played rugby union for Scottish Borders, and at club level for Galashiels RFC, playing at Centre, i.e...
- Anne RedpathAnne RedpathAnne Redpath OBE was a Scottish artist whose vivid domestic still lifes are among her best-known works.Redpath's father was a tweed designer in the Scottish Borders. She saw a connection between his use of colour and her own...
- Bryan RedpathBryan RedpathBryan William Redpath is a former rugby union player, and a member of the Scottish line of scrum-halves that include Gary Armstrong, Roy Laidlaw, Alan Lawson, Chris Cusiter and Mike Blair. Bryan attended Kelso High School in Kelso, Scottish Borders.Redpath won 60 caps playing for Scotland,...
- Gregor TownsendGregor TownsendGregor Peter John Townsend MBE is a former Scottish rugby union player who played at fly-half, full back and latterly centre....
Sport
The following sports clubs are based in Galashiels:- Gala Cricket Club
- Gala Fairydean F.C.Gala Fairydean F.C.Gala Fairydean F.C. is a football club currently playing in Division 1 of the East of Scotland Football League.- History :Founded in 1907 as the result of a split in the Gala Fairydean Rovers club into Gala Fairydean and Gala Rovers, they play their home matches at the Netherdale ground in Galashiels...
(football) - Gala Rugby Football ClubGala RFCGala Rugby Football Club are a rugby union team based in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, founded in 1875, they play their home games at Netherdale....
In culture
Robert BurnsRobert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
wrote two poems about Galashiels, "Sae Fair Her Hair" and "Braw Lads". The latter is sung by the some of the townsfolk each year at the Braw Lads Gathering. Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
built his home, Abbotsford
Abbotsford House
Abbotsford is a historic house in the region of the Scottish Borders in the south of Scotland, near Melrose, on the south bank of the River Tweed. It was formerly the residence of historical novelist and poet, Walter Scott...
, just across 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...
from Galashiels. The Sir Walter Scott Way
Sir Walter Scott Way
The Sir Walter Scott Way is a long distance path in the Scottish Borders of Scotland, in memory of Sir Walter Scott, of one of Scotland's greatest writers.-The Way:...
, a long-distance path from Moffat
Moffat
Moffat is a former burgh and spa town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, lying on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. The most notable building in the town is the Moffat House Hotel, designed by John Adam...
to Cockburnspath
Cockburnspath
Cockburnspath is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It lies near the North Sea coast between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh. It is at the eastern extremity of the Southern Upland Way, a long-distance footpath from the west to east coast of Scotland, and it is also the terminus...
passes through Galashiels.
There is some largely good-hearted rivalry between some of the Galashiels townsfolk and those of other border towns, particularly Hawick
Hawick
Hawick is a town in the Scottish Borders of south east Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-southeast of Selkirk. It is one of the farthest towns from the sea in Scotland, in the heart of Teviotdale, and the biggest town in the former county of Roxburghshire. Hawick's architecture is...
, the largest town in the Scottish Borders. Galashiels's citizens often refer to their rival as dirty Hawick while the 'Teries' retort that Galashiels's residents are pail merks, supposedly because their town was the last to be plumbed into the mains water system and so residents had to rely on buckets as toilets. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/corpus/search/document.php?documentid=1572
A tourism guide, based on the experiences of travellers, once described Galashiels as a place "which is hard to avoid" due to it being a transport hub and centrally based in the Borders and being "unwelcoming during the day" and having an "air of menace" about it at night.
Galashiels was also home to the author of the famous Scottish song, "Coulters Candy
Coulters Candy
Coulter's Candy, also known as Ally Bally or Ally Bally Bee, is a Scottish folk song, originating from Galashiels in the Scottish Borders....
". Robert Coltart was a weaver in the town, but made confectionery also in near-by Melrose. The song was created as an advertisement, and hence was renamed as "Sugar Candy" when played by the BBC. The song is possibly better known by the first line of its chorus - "Ally, bally, ally bally bee". Coltart died in 1890.
Transport
For many years there has been talk of reviving the old abandoned Waverley LineWaverley Line
The Waverley Line is an abandoned double track railway line that ran south from Edinburgh in Scotland through Midlothian and the Scottish Borders to Carlisle in England. It was built by the North British Railway Company; the first section, from Edinburgh to Hawick opened in 1849. The final section,...
between Tweedbank, a suburb south of Galashiels, all the way to Edinburgh Waverley station. At the time of writing the project has been handed to the national transport agency Transport Scotland with on site work expected to start in 2011 and completion around the end of 2013. It is estimated to cost in the region of £235 - 295 million.
According to the website waverleyrailwayproject.co.uk, "The railway will deliver major economic and social development opportunities and is one of the most sustainable public transport proposals in Scotland, saving 450,000 tonnes of CO2."
Education
The following are listed by Scottish Borders Council as being in the Galashiels Area and are catchment schools for Galashiels Academy.Primary schools
- Balmoral Primary
- Burgh Primary
- Caddonfoot Primary, Clovenfords
- Fountainhall Primary, Midlothian
- Glendinning Terrace Primary
- Heriot Primary, Midlothian
- Langlee Primary
- Stow Primary (Stow)
- St Margaret's RC Primary (Catholic School)
- St Peter's Primary
- Tweedbank Primary
Secondary schools
- Galashiels AcademyGalashiels AcademyGalashiels Academy is the high school in Galashiels, Scotland, that serves the surrounding area as well as Stow . Although refounded in 1938, the school's history goes back as far as 1696. -Notable former pupils:...
Higher education
Netherdale in Galashiels is home to Heriot-Watt University's School of Textiles and Design, which is also a shared campus of Borders College.
Redevelopment
Despite the town's relatively low population, the early 2000s saw many new developments, including AsdaAsda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
, Boots
Boots UK
Boots UK Limited , is a leading pharmacy chain in the United Kingdom, with outlets in most high streets throughout the country...
pharmacy, Halfords
Halfords
Halfords Group plc is a leading retailer of car parts, car enhancements and bicycles operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Czech Republic and more recently in Poland, although it is currently pulling out of the latter two countries...
, Marks & Spencer, Matalan
Matalan
Matalan is a British retailer that specialises in shoes and clothes. It was founded by John Hargreaves in 1985. It currently has 200 stores across the UK. The 200th store opened on 22 September 2006 in Croydon...
, McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
, Next, Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
fast-food outlet and Tesco Extra. Most of these are on former mill and industrial estate sites, while other disused mills have been converted to living accommodation.
Unusual landmarks or local features
The town is home to the GlasiteGlasite
The Glasites or Glassites were a Christian sect founded in about 1730 in Scotland by John Glas. Glas' faith, as part of the First Great Awakening, was spread by his son-in-law Robert Sandeman into England and America, where the members were called Sandemanians.Glas dissented from the Westminster...
church, in danger of being lost, but still standing sandwiched between mills and shop buildings on High Street, Botany Lane and Roxburgh Street.
Netherdale is home to Gala RFC
Gala RFC
Gala Rugby Football Club are a rugby union team based in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, founded in 1875, they play their home games at Netherdale....
and Gala Fairydean FC. The football
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club's main stand was built in 1963 to designs by Peter Womersley
Peter Womersley
Peter Womersley was a British architect, best known for his work in the modernist style. He lived in the Scottish Borders, where a number of his buildings are located, although he worked on projects throughout the UK...
, based in near-by Gattonside
Gattonside
Gattonside is a small village in the Scottish Borders. It is located north of Melrose, on the north side of the River Tweed. In 1143, the lands of Gattonside were granted to the monks of Melrose Abbey by King David I...
. The cantilever
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
ed concrete structure, in the Brutalist style
Brutalist architecture
Brutalist architecture is a style of architecture which flourished from the 1950s to the mid 1970s, spawned from the modernist architectural movement.-The term "brutalism":...
, is now protected as a Category B listed building.
Balmoral
Located in the south west of the town on Meigle Hill. Mainly ex-local authority houses and currently very popular in the housing market. Served by Balmoral Primary School.Balmoral connects with Windyknowe and Gala Park where there are some stone built properties dating from the Victorian era as well as private housing from the 70s and 80s near to the Victoria Park.
Langlee
Built on both sides of Melrose Road to the east of the town and north of the Gala Water and River Tweed. Consists of ex-local authority homes and a handful of older, stone-built properties along the Melrose Road.Halliburton
Sits high up the hill as you leave Galashiels on the A7 towards EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
at the north-west of the town. Comprises two large streets (Halliburton Place and Glendinning Terrace) that run parallel with Magdala Terrace and further on Bristol Terrace, which make up part of the A7. Because of the location, this area has spectacular views across Galashiels and over to Meigle Hill.
Ladhope
Neighbouring Halliburton, Ladhope, comprising homes from the past four decades, stretches high up on the hillside, largely connecting Halliburton to the High Road, Melrose Road area of Galashiels. It is also home to Galashiels Golf Club and Heatheryetts grave yard overlooking much of the centre and north west of town.Torwoodlee / Kilnknowe
Torwoodlee and Kilnknowe are in the north west of the town. The main street running through this area is Wood Street, and is part of the A72A72 road
The A72 is a major route in Scotland connecting Hamilton in South Lanarkshire, with Galashiels in the Scottish Borders.It travels for over 60 miles in a South-Easterly direction, along the Clyde and Tweed valleys, passing the towns of Larkhall, Lanark, Biggar and Peebles.-Hamilton to...
, that carries on to Clovenfords
Clovenfords
Clovenfords is a small village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, north of the hamlet of Caddonfoot. The village has a primary school, church, village hall, hotel, and shop...
, Innerleithen
Innerleithen
Innerleithen is a small town in the committee area of Tweeddale, in the Scottish Borders.-Etymology:The name "Innerleithen" comes from the Scottish Gaelic meaning "confluence of the Leithen", because it is here that the river joins the Tweed. The prefix "Inner-/Inver-" is common in many Scottish...
and Peebles
Peebles
Peebles is a burgh in the committee area of Tweeddale, in the Scottish Borders, lying on the River Tweed. According to the 2001 Census, the population was 8,159.-History:...
. Kilnknowe Place, Balnakiel Terrace, Torwoodlee Road, Pringle Lane and Blynlee Lane, mainly ex-local authority houses from the 1970s, are streets in this area, and are within a ten-minute walk of the town centre
This area looks across the valley of Gala Water
Gala Water
The Gala Water is a river in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland and a tributary of the River Tweed. It is sometimes known as the "Gala", which nickname is also shared with Galashiels, which it flows through. The "Braw Lads O Gala Watter" is a song about people from Galashiels.-Gallery:...
and has spectacular views of Buckholm Tower. The early 2000s saw new homes being built in Woodlea and William Law Gardens. Kilnknowe Caravan Park provides caravan accommodation for locals and in-comers.
Netherdale
In the east of the town, Netherdale is home to Gala RFC and Gala Fairydean Football Club. Heriot-Watt UniversityHeriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University is a university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The name commemorates George Heriot, the 16th century financier to King James, and James Watt, the great 18th century inventor and engineer....
Borders Campus is located here also. Netherdale is a possible location for one of the two new primary schools needing built in Galashiels due to the town expanding.
Kingsknowes
The area most vehicles pass through; Kingsknowes is in the extreme south of Galashiels. The A7 from Selkirk enters from the south-west up to Kingsknowes roundabout before heading north-west in to Galashiels. The A6091 starts here and heads east past TweedbankTweedbank
Tweedbank is a large village located south east of Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, Scotland.Tweedbank, as the name suggests, is adjacent to the River Tweed, approximately 500 metres down river from Abbotsford House – the historic home of Sir Walter Scott.It is the site of the biggest...
, Darnick
Darnick
Darnick is a village near Melrose in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former Roxburghshire.Places nearby include Abbotsford, Buckholm, Eildon, the Gala Water, Galashiels, Gattonside, Lindean and Newtown St. Boswells....
, Melrose
Melrose, Scotland
Melrose is a small town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders, historically in Roxburghshire. It is in the Eildon committee area.-Etymology:...
and Newstead
Newstead, Scottish Borders
Newstead is a village in the Scottish Borders, just east of Melrose, coordinates 55.599704, -2.691987. It has a population of approximately 260, according to the 2001 census.It is reputedly the oldest continually inhabited settlement in Scotland...
to the A68
A68 road
The A68 is a major road in the United Kingdom, running from Darlington in England to the A720 in Scotland.From Darlington, the road runs north, bypassing Bishop Auckland, and running through West Auckland, Toft Hill and Tow Law, past Consett and Corbridge...
. This is the preferred route from Carlisle to Edinburgh as the A7 loses its Trunk Road
Trunk road
A trunk road, trunk highway, or strategic road is a major road—usually connecting two or more cities, ports, airports, and other things.—which is the recommended route for long-distance and freight traffic...
status here. This area is considered one of the most desirable areas to live in due to its modern construction and design.
Town centre
In Galashiels, Channel Street is considered the main shopping street and has a pedestrian precinct and other traffic calming measures to ensure shopping in the town is a pleasurable experience. Most visitors will appreciate Bank Street gardens situated in the town centre. There is an award-winning war memorial by Robert LorimerRobert Lorimer
Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer was a prolific Scottish architect noted for his restoration work on historic houses and castles, and for promotion of the Arts and Crafts style.-Early life:...
constructed in the style of a Peel Tower fronted by a statue of a Border Reiver.
Galashiels also has a multi-screen cinema on Market Street and along with several restaurants and night-clubs gives Galashiels a very urban and city-like feel despite its comparatively small population
The Old Town
Now a mixture of housing and a busy thoroughfare through town, this part of Galashiels has a market or mercat cross and is surrounded by remnants of the town's history, with a former cloth hall, the Gala Aisle, and Tea Street in the neighbouring area.Tweedbank
Tweedbank is south of Galashiels, centred around Gunknowe Loch, also known as Tweedbank Pond. There is a small late shop, a primary school, a community centre - used for scouts, guides, rainbows etc. - and the newest addition to Tweedbank is a bar and restaurant located next to the loch. Tweedbank also has an industrial estate and is home to radio station, Radio BordersRadio Borders
Radio Borders is a radio station broadcasting to the Scottish Borders and North Northumberland from studios in Tweedbank, just outside Galashiels...
. The town is also the proposed terminus of restored Waverley Line
Waverley Line
The Waverley Line is an abandoned double track railway line that ran south from Edinburgh in Scotland through Midlothian and the Scottish Borders to Carlisle in England. It was built by the North British Railway Company; the first section, from Edinburgh to Hawick opened in 1849. The final section,...
.
Although now technically separate, Tweedbank's population is often lumped in with Galashiels, with a total area population of 14361 recorded in the 2001 census.
The Black Path
This particular geographical feature links Langlee and Tweedbank to the town centre. It will be replaced when the Waverley LineWaverley Line
The Waverley Line is an abandoned double track railway line that ran south from Edinburgh in Scotland through Midlothian and the Scottish Borders to Carlisle in England. It was built by the North British Railway Company; the first section, from Edinburgh to Hawick opened in 1849. The final section,...
is rebuilt. A section of the Black Path links to the Southern Upland Way
Southern Upland Way
Opened in 1984, the Southern Upland Way is a coast to coast walk in Scotland between Portpatrick in the west and Cockburnspath in the east....
.
Other areas
Other areas not listed include Windyknowe, between Galapark and Wood Street, and Glenfield/Langhaugh between the town centre and Langlee where housing developments have seen these places expand in recent years. Both have elderly residential homes complexes.Not formally part of one area or another, there are also streets of former mill terraces just off the town centre, including at St John Street, Gala Park and Scott Street. These link with parts of the Old Town and bear similarities here with blocks of flats dating from the 1960s and 70s evident among the terraces.
Also away from town are places such as Duke Street, King Street and Union Street where again, mill terraces dominate but their former associated workplaces have long since been demolished to be replaced with modern retail or business units.
Duke Street almost stands alone but was once connected to Wilderhaugh with terraced rows such as Queen Street once forming an almost unbroken link.
There are also 1960s/70s flats mixed with terraces around Netherdale, including at Dale Street and Greenbank Street.
External links
- Galashiels Website
- Galashiels Town Website
- Undiscovered Scotland: Galashiels
- GALASHIELS HISTORICAL PEACE PAGEANT (1919) GALASHIELS WAR MEMORIAL (1925) (archive films from the National Library of Scotland: Scottish Screen Archive)