Talk:Berwickshire Towns and Villages C

Chirnside

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Coldstream

Former United Free Church sits on the High Street, dating to the early 1900's and now used as a community centre.A Gothic style building with transepts and tower, to a design by Alnwick architect George Reavell jr the church featured a gallery to the rear, (now used by the youth club). Stained glass is attributed to both London and Edinburgh companies. The site used for the church was previously the site of the United Presbyterian West Church.

Coldstream Parish Church sits on the High Street, surrounded by the oldest buildings within the town. Originally built to replace the destroyed 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 found at Gretna Green. The 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.

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