Kelso Abbey

Kelso Abbey stands in the Scottish Borders beside the junction of the Tweed and Teviot waters. Once the heart of the royal burgh of Roxburgh, it was founded in 1128 by Tironesian monks invited by David I. The monks moved from an earlier site near Selkirk when Roxburgh became the southern centre of the developing Scottish kingdom. At its height the abbey controlled vast estates and rivalled the wealth of any religious house in Scotland. Its massive Romanesque west tower still dominates the skyline, a reminder of the formidable building that once stood here. The abbey survived repeated attacks during the Wars of Scottish Independence and the Rough Wooing under Henry VIII. In 1460 it witnessed the coronation of the infant James III after his father James II died nearby. The monks repaired every breach, yet by the mid-16th century the building fell into ruin. After the Reformation the ruins were quarried for stone and partly used as a parish kirk. Only the west tower crossing and part of the infirmary remain from the original structure. Visitors today see the great west tower rising above the river junction. The north transept gable is the most complete surviving face, showing rounded arches from the 12th century. Above are later arcades without a regular vertical pattern, a feature unique in Scotland or England. The belfry openings mark the 13th-century phase of the tower. A modern cloister, added in 1933, stands beside the ruins in the original style.