Berwick

If you edge your way through the colorful street market
you reach the Guildhall at Berwick-upon-Tweed,
( the focal point of the town,)
The Guildhall has impressive steps and a tower
which once served as a light house, but which
currently houses bells that chime out each Sunday
morning and Thursday evenings

On a Saturday you’ll likely find a fund raising event and the chance of a cup of coffee within it’s ornate interior. It’s also worth exploring the little alleys that lead off Marygate and the cobbled road that leads down Quay and the oldest of the towns three bridges There is also a coffee bar within ‘The Maltings,’ the town’s local theatre, which is open all day and overlooks the roof tops of the ancient port

If you arrive by train you step off where once
there was a castle. There is not much of it left, a lot of the stone from the stronghold was used to build the lofty railway bridge that spans the River Tweed.
This bit of Victorian recycling took place when
Robert Stephenson (son of George Stephenson of railway fame) built the bridge in the 1840’s.

Once a large seaport, Berwick-upon-Tweed
grew on the trade with barley.,
(the name 'Berwick' comes from ‘beil wick’
which means ‘Barley Farm.’)
There was also the salmon fishing and the wool trade,
that attracted merchants from all over Europe.
Flemish, German and Scandinavian traders set up
businesses in the town.

You can still watch the salmon fishermen with their
cobbles netting the fish below the lower of the
three bridges that span the River Tweed

Taking a walk around the wall is a 'must'. It passes over the 'Cowgate, ' (an arched entrance in the wall with massive metal studded wooden doors through which the cattle would have been brought in from the fields.) You can break your stroll there and visit Berwick-upon-Tweed Barracks.
It is now an English Heritage centre and contains three museums, with part of the Burrel Collection in the 'Town Museum', The Kings Own Scottish Border's Regimental Museum and a display called 'By Beat of Drum' which tells how the ordinary soldier lived through the ages. (Entry is £2.60)
The coat of arms of 'George the First' is above the gate and wandering through the town you see other interesting bits of heraldry and adornment, like the brightly painted bust of bust the Duke of Wellington above the lintel of a house in Palace Green near the Guard House

Traces of history are everywhere you can see the pubs where the stage coaches stopped but garage doors now hide the entrances to the ice caves in Ravensgate. The ice being used to preserve the fish that was transported London by sailing smack. That was a time when you used shipping if you wanted to get there in a hurry.

For a more 'in depth' coverage of the town and the area's history track down local experts via our links page.