Abbotsford Country House, Roxburghshire, United Kingdom

Abbotsford is a historic country house in the Scottish Borders, near Galashiels, on the south bank of the River Tweed. Now open to the public, it was built as the residence of historical novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott between 1817 and 1825.

The manor as a whole appears as a 'castle-in-miniature', with small towers and imitation battlements decorating the house and garden walls. Into various parts of the fabric were built relics and curiosities from historical structures, such as the doorway of the old Tolbooth in Edinburgh.

Scott collected many of these curiosities to be built into the walls of the South Garden, which previously hosted a colonnade of gothic arches along the garden walls. Along the path of the former colonnade sits the remains of Edinburgh's 15th century Mercat Cross and several examples of classical sculpture.

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Palaces, manors and town halls in United Kingdom

User Reviews

Roger S (2 months ago)
A interesting insight into part of the private home of Sir Walter Scott. Rather than the grandeur of a stately buildings, this has a more homely feel. Well kept gardens and surroundings, complete with river views made it an enjoyable visit.

Alison Fisher (3 months ago)
Really beautiful house, although only the ground floor is open to the public. Interesting little chapel and beautiful gardens. The meal in the cafe was spot on and really delicious. Parking is £2 for the day and there are plenty of spaces.

Louisa S (4 months ago)
Totally surprised at how much I enjoyed this attraction. The tour (guide) was engaging and the grounds were just amazing. Done in the English style, the garden was truly spectacular and maybe my favorite thing from my trip.

Yatie Hayre (4 months ago)
Beautiful outside and inside. Full of information on Sir Walter history and the home been kept well , the tour guides are informative, attentive friendly,helpful and well guided. We really enjoyed our visit and has been twice there. The cafe served delicious homemade scones too.

Sonia Benhamed (5 months ago)
We came just at the closing of the cafe and all the attractions at 5 p.m. but it still looked fantastic. We had a nice walk around and children could play on a small slide. There were benches and picnic tables for public use. We could spot some of the enchanted wooden figures in the forest without entering the trail that was closed at the time. Everything looking clean and well maintained. Pay and display car park available. Definitely coming back on another sunny day to check out the attractions.

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The Gravensteen is a castle in Ghent originating from the Middle Ages. The name means 'castle of the counts' in Dutch. Arnulf I (918–965), Count of Flanders, was the first to fortify this place, building a medieval bastion on this high sand dune, naturally protected by the river Leie and its marshy banks. This bastion consisted of a central wooden building and several surrounding buildings, also in wood.

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