Paxton, Scottish Borders
Encyclopedia
Paxton is a small village near the B6461 and the B6460, in the pre-1975 ancient county of Berwickshire
, now an administrative area of the Scottish Borders
region of Scotland
. It lies 1 mile west of the border with Northumberland
, near Berwick-upon-Tweed
. It is a traditional, country village surrounded by farmland, and its closest market towns are Duns
and Berwick-upon-Tweed
.
Paxton is beside the River Tweed
which is the border at that point and on Whiteadder Water
. Paxton is also the location of Paxton House.
Linking Scotland and England, the nearby Union Chain Bridge
, opened in 1820, was the longest wrought iron
suspension bridge
in the world. It was also the first of its kind in Britain.
Paxton's a fine snug place, Robin Adair,
It's a wondrous couthie place, Robin Adair;
Let Whiteadder rin a spate,
Or the wind blow at ony rate,
Yet I'll meet thee on the gait, Robin Adair.
Berwickshire
Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482...
, now an administrative area of the Scottish Borders
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...
region of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It lies 1 mile west of the border with Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, near Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
. It is a traditional, country village surrounded by farmland, and its closest market towns are Duns
Duns
Duns is the county town of the historic county of Berwickshire, within the Scottish Borders.-Early history:Duns law, the original site of the town of Duns, has the remains of an Iron Age hillfort at its summit...
and Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
.
Paxton is beside 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...
which is the border at that point and on Whiteadder Water
Whiteadder Water
Whiteadder Water is a river in East Lothian and Berwickshire, Scotland. It also flows for a very short distance through Northumberland before joining the River Tweed...
. Paxton is also the location of Paxton House.
Linking Scotland and England, the nearby Union Chain Bridge
Union Bridge (Tweed)
The Union Bridge is a suspended-deck suspension bridge that spans the River Tweed between Horncliffe, Northumberland, England and Fishwick, Borders, Scotland...
, opened in 1820, was the longest wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
suspension bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
in the world. It was also the first of its kind in Britain.
History
Traditionally home to villagers working on the land on in the salmon fishery on the Tweed, Paxton is said to be the birthplace of the song Robin Adair:Paxton's a fine snug place, Robin Adair,
It's a wondrous couthie place, Robin Adair;
Let Whiteadder rin a spate,
Or the wind blow at ony rate,
Yet I'll meet thee on the gait, Robin Adair.