Crook Hill, Crook Inn

NT 11097 26437 An Enhanced level historic building survey and historical research showed that along with three other establishments, the Crook Inn applied for a licence to sell alcohol in 1604 after a new law was introduced in 1603, making it one of the oldest public houses in the country. This would imply that there was a building prior to that date already on site. The recent discovery on site of over twenty pieces of moulded window surrounds that were re-used, upside down, as a garden border (pers comm M Cressey) suggests either that the earlier Crook Inn building was possibly grander or that the stones were later imported for use from elsewhere.

Cartographic evidence shows the Crook Inn on Roy’s and Ainslie’s mid-18th- and early 19th-century maps. The OS maps, show the Crook Inn originally consisting of two separate buildings, surrounded by a series of ancillary buildings. Later, the Crook Inn buildings were incorporated into a single building, and the ancillary buildings expanded and contracted over time.

Each of the buildings show elements of change over time. The Bunkhouse was originally a short, single storey byre with an outshot at its rear. An extension was first added to the northern end and then a second, timber-framed storey was added, and its usage changed from agricultural to domestic. The Craft Centre was part of a larger complex of now demolished buildings. A modern, shuttered concrete addition was added to its western side and the addition of new brick internal walls helped change usage from agricultural to light industry and retail. Recently, the roof timbers and slates were replaced.

The general complex of buildings initially grew as the Inn was

on the droving road from the SW to markets in the Lothians and Edinburgh and would have provided a sheltered rest point. The introduction of the railways in the mid-19th century meant that animal transportation would have by-passed the Inn. However, the growth in popularity of the motorcar and touring holidays, after the First World War, meant the site became a popular stop again and the building was given an art deco refurbishment in the mid-1930s. A watching brief was undertaken during the groundworks. This identified the remains of some of the buildings that formerly occupied the site. These remains largely consisted of sandstone and lime mortar walls and cobbled and concrete surfaces. All of these features could be directly related to features depicted on early OS map editions and are thought to relate to the early 19th-

century redevelopment of the inn.

Archive: NRHE (intended) and report lodged with local HER Funder: Tweedsmuir Community Company

Graeme Carruthers and Magnus Kirby – CFA Archaeology Ltd

(Source: DES Volume 23)

Visibility: This is an upstanding building.

Information from Scottish Borders Council.