Berwick-upon-Tweed - Paxton House

Paxton House (3mi/4.8km west of Berwick-upon-Tweed) features in a romantic love story. While studying in Germany the young Patrick Home of Billie fell in love with the illegitimate daughter of Frederick the Great. In Berlin's Charlottenburg Castle in 1749, the young lady presented Patrick with a ring and a pair of silk gloves as a symbol of her love and these are on view in Paxton House to this day. After some initial hesitation, Frederick the Great gave his approval to the liaison but requested that Patrick transfer his assets to Prussia and live in Berlin, whereupon Patrick's mother threatened to disinherit her son. He returned to Scotland and sought the help of the king, who presented Home with Paxton House as a fitting residence for his future wife, but in the end they did not marry. The mansion was built by John and James, two brothers of the celebrated Adam family. The Palladian-style country house is noted not only for its elegant Chippendale furniture but also its painting gallery in delicate pastel shades and topped with a glass dome. This and the library were designed by Robert Reid in 1811. The Regency-style rosewood furniture came from the workshops of the Edinburgh craftsman William Trotter. Paxton House once possessed the biggest private collection of any Scottish country house but the works of art have had to be sold to pay for the upkeep of the property. The current exhibits have been loaned by the National Gallery of Scotland.