Talk:Berwickshire Towns and Villages C

Chirnside

Page under construction

Coldstream

Coldstream Parish Church sits on the High Street, surrounded by the oldest builings within the town. Originally built to replace the destoyed church at the abandoned Lennell site the earliest parts of the building (tower and west entrance) date to 1718. The remainder of the building was rebuilt in 1905, a stone vaulted ceiling and carved stone pulpit being amongst the most prominent internal features. There are many reminders of the Coldstream Guards, (the birthplace of the regiment being some 200 yards from the church) as well as a plaque commemorating the forming of the Coldstream Free Bible Press by Rev Adam Thomson, thus breaking the monopoly of the Oxford and Cambridge Universities and the King's printers in Scotland.

The marriage house is unique to the Scottish Borders, arguably the most famous of which is Gretna Green. Coldstream Marriage House is the smaller part of the building in the photograph, the last marriage conducted here was in 1853. The introduction of civil regisration in Scotland in 1855 spelled the end of the marriage house for ceremonies. Many English couples would marry at the marriage houses in what were known as "irregular marriages", taking advantage of the less restrictive Scottish marriage laws which applied at the time. The building sits just yards from the border on a sharp bend, restored after years of neglect to the condition shown in the image it was damaged soon after by passing traffic. replacement stone added to the front wall and low perimeter wall after the accident can easily be seen today.

Back to Berwickshire Parishes C