Old Gala House

Old Gala House stands in Galashiels, a town in the Scottish Borders. Built in 1457 as a tower house by the Hoppringill family, it began as a simple stone structure. Andrew Hoppringill enlarged it in 1583 and again in 1611, turning it into a family home. His daughter Jean married Hugh Scott in 1635, and a ceiling painting from that wedding was found in 1952. Hugh Scott added more rooms and gardens, shaping the house into a five-bay, U-shaped building. Rubblestone walls surround three sides, with gardens and water features completing the setting. The house passed through generations of the Scott family until Hugh Scott the ninth commissioned David Bryce in 1872 to design New Gala House. The family moved there, leaving Old Gala House empty. In the 1980s the Scottish Borders Council restored it and turned it into a museum and conference centre. Today it also hosts university graduations and weddings, while holding archives for the Borders Family History Society. Inside, visitors find rooms arranged around a central courtyard. The restored ceilings and fireplaces show the craftsmanship of each century. The gardens outside include terraces and water features that reflect the house’s history. The building’s stone walls and large windows give views of the surrounding town and hills. Exhibits inside tell the story of the Hoppringills, the Scotts and the town’s past.