Kelso, Scotland Tourist Attractions

The biggest and, at the end of the 12th century, the richest of the four Border abbeys was founded in 1128 by monks from Picardy, It shared the same fate as the other abbeys and was destroyed in the 16th century. Once again it was the Earl of Hertford who during the Reformation, at the behest of Henry VIII, burnt the town and abbey to the ground. The transept and, above all, the west tower, which is rather reminiscent of a castle keep, are the best-preserved sections of this late Norman sandstone construction.

The Georgian Mellerstain House, 6mi/9.6km northwest of Kelso, was begun in 1725 by William Adam and then completed a few years later by his son Robert Adam. In 1909 Sir Reginald Blomfield designed the terraced gardens in Italian style. Chippendale, Sheraton and Hepplewhite furniture adorn the rooms, together with a valuable collection of paintings by Ramsay, Van Dyck, Aikman, Constable, Nasmyth and Gainsborough, but the Library, painted in delicate green and pink tones, with an exquisite stucco ceiling is probably the highlight of the house.The grounds are formally landscaped with a garden, lake and woodlands. There is also a formal terrace and extensive rose garden.

Smailholm Tower is located near Kelso. It is a simple tower house displaying a collection of costume figures and tapestries relating to Sir Walter Scott.

Turret House by Abbey Court is one of Kelso's oldest buildings. It houses a small museum on the history of Kelso.

The remains of an Iron Age broch, a hollow round tower stand on a mound some 4mi/6km to the north of Kelso. In places the tower reaches a height of 5ft/1.5m.