Yair, Scottish Borders
Encyclopedia
Yair, also known as The Yair, is an estate in the Scottish Borders
. It stands by the River Tweed
in the former county of Selkirkshire
, 2.5 miles (4 km) north-west of Selkirk, and 28 miles (45.1 km) south of Edinburgh
. The name comes from the old Scots
word for a fish trap
. The estate is centred on Yair House, which is protected as a category A listed building. The nearby Yair Bridge is also category A listed.
allowed the monks of Kelso to build a dam on the River Tweed, creating a pool for fishing.
Yair House was built by Alexander Pringle of Whytbank (1747–1827) in 1788. It is a Georgian
house of three storeys, with a large bay to the front. Pringle made his fortune in India, and re-purchased the family estates on his return. These estates, which included Whytbank Tower on the north side of the river, had been Pringle property since the 16th century, but were sold in the early 18th century to pay debts. The designer of the new house was William Elliot, a Kelso-based architect who designed The Haining
in Selkirk, for another Pringle, in 1794.
(1734–1790). The three-arch stone bridge now carries the A707 across the Tweed.
and Selkirk, to mark the boundaries of their lands. Access to the forest is at Lindinney car park on the A707, close to Yair Bridge. The Yair Grazings car park, at the north-west edge of the forest, allows access to Yair Wood, and nearby Glenkinnon car park is the access point for a biodiversity
trail. Part of the forest is Lindinny Community Woodland, which is being restored from coniferous to native woodland by FCS and the Borders Forest Trust.
The Southern Upland Way
passes through the estate, descending from Three Brethren and crossing Yair Bridge. The Sir Walter Scott Way
follows the same route. Below Yair is the Fairnilee slalom site on the River Tweed, used for canoe slalom. The Yair and the River Tweed
generally remain popular salmon
fishing sites. Yair House is not open to the public, theough the gardesn are occasionally opened for charity as part of Scotland's Gardens Scheme.
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...
. It stands by 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 the former county of Selkirkshire
Selkirkshire
Selkirkshire or the County of Selkirk is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Peeblesshire to the west, Midlothian to the north, Berwickshire to the north-east, Roxburghshire to the east, and Dumfriesshire to the south...
, 2.5 miles (4 km) north-west of Selkirk, and 28 miles (45.1 km) south of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
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...
. The name comes from the old Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
word for a fish trap
Fishing weir
A fishing weir, or fish weir, is an obstruction placed in tidal waters or wholly or partially across a river, which is designed to hinder the passage of fish. Traditionally they were built from wood or stones. They can be used to trap fish...
. The estate is centred on Yair House, which is protected as a category A listed building. The nearby Yair Bridge is also category A listed.
History
In 1156 King MalcolmMalcolm IV of Scotland
Malcolm IV , nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" , King of Scots, was the eldest son of Earl Henry and Ada de Warenne...
allowed the monks of Kelso to build a dam on the River Tweed, creating a pool for fishing.
Yair House was built by Alexander Pringle of Whytbank (1747–1827) in 1788. It is a Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
house of three storeys, with a large bay to the front. Pringle made his fortune in India, and re-purchased the family estates on his return. These estates, which included Whytbank Tower on the north side of the river, had been Pringle property since the 16th century, but were sold in the early 18th century to pay debts. The designer of the new house was William Elliot, a Kelso-based architect who designed The Haining
The Haining
The Haining is a country house and estate in Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. The present house dates from the 1790s, and was a property of the Pringle family...
in Selkirk, for another Pringle, in 1794.
Yair Bridge
Yair Bridge lies 600 metres (1,968.5 ft) downstream from the house. It was constructed in 1764, and designed by the Edinburgh architect William MylneWilliam Mylne
William Mylne was a Scottish architect and engineer. He is best known as the builder of the North Bridge, which links the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, Scotland. He was the younger brother of Robert Mylne, architect and designer of Blackfriars Bridge in London.-Early life:William was descended...
(1734–1790). The three-arch stone bridge now carries the A707 across the Tweed.
Outdoor access
Yair Hill Forest is one of many forests in the Borders managed by Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS). It is located to the south and west of the house on Craig Hill (382m) and on Three Brethren (484m). Three Brethren is named after three stone mounds built in the 16th century by the lairds of Yair, PhiliphaughPhiliphaugh
Philiphaugh is a village by the Yarrow Water, on the outskirts of Selkirk, in the Scottish Borders.Places nearby include Bowhill, Broadmeadows, the Ettrick Water, Ettrickbridge, Lindean, Salenside, Yarrowford and the Yair Forest....
and Selkirk, to mark the boundaries of their lands. Access to the forest is at Lindinney car park on the A707, close to Yair Bridge. The Yair Grazings car park, at the north-west edge of the forest, allows access to Yair Wood, and nearby Glenkinnon car park is the access point for a biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
trail. Part of the forest is Lindinny Community Woodland, which is being restored from coniferous to native woodland by FCS and the Borders Forest Trust.
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....
passes through the estate, descending from Three Brethren and crossing Yair Bridge. 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:...
follows the same route. Below Yair is the Fairnilee slalom site on the River Tweed, used for canoe slalom. The Yair and 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...
generally remain popular salmon
Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
fishing sites. Yair House is not open to the public, theough the gardesn are occasionally opened for charity as part of Scotland's Gardens Scheme.
External links
- Yair House, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of ScotlandRoyal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of ScotlandThe Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government 'sponsored' [financed and with oversight] through Historic Scotland, an executive agency of the Scottish Government...
- Yair House, Clan Pringle Association