Archaeology Notes

Event ID 719036

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/719036

NT53NW 21 c. 527 354 to c. 523 354.

Tower:- At Westhouses was a square tower with very thick walls with gunholes. The name of the Ormistons, the owners,and the date 1581 was on the principal gate. This tower, which stood on the high ground to the east of the Alwyn Water, but on the north side of the turnpike road and to the west of the cross road, was removed about 1811 or 1814 (2 and 3). Freer says that the tower stood NW of the inn (see below).

Village:- Milne does not mention the village, but the other authorities note a village called Westhouses as being formerly on the site of the present garden of the Pavilion (NT 528 353) or westward of the house of that name whose present Gardeners house (Freer) or Porters Lodge (Wade) - once the two-storied coaching inn - is now reduced to one storey.

Wade also notes the corn mill, named 'Westhouses Mill' and "razed by the English" at Bridgend, near the bridge but at the foot of Allen Water; nothing remains except the line of water formed by the wheel race and the site is now a green patch, or island, in the Tweed.

A Milne 1743; A Jeffrey 1864; J A Wade 1861; J Freer 1892

No traces of the village, tower, nor mill were found. The housekeeper at Pavilion House pointed out a plain two-storeyed house at NT 5273 3541 as being the old inn. Topographically, and from the description above, the tower is likely to have stood in the area centred on NT 5248 3552. The "island" said to be the stie of the mill is located at NT 5231 3540.

Visited by OS (WDJ) 26 January 1961