Pricing Change
New pricing for orders of material from this site will come into place shortly. Charges for supply of digital images, digitisation on demand, prints and licensing will be altered.
Upcoming Maintenance
Please be advised that this website will undergo scheduled maintenance on the following dates:
Thursday, 9 January: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Thursday, 23 January: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Thursday, 30 January: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
During these times, some functionality such as image purchasing may be temporarily unavailable. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Peebles, Northgate, Cross Keys Inn
Hotel (17th Century)
Site Name Peebles, Northgate, Cross Keys Inn
Classification Hotel (17th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Cleikum Inn
Canmore ID 51506
Site Number NT24SE 66
NGR NT 2530 4039
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/51506
- Council Scottish Borders, The
- Parish Peebles
- Former Region Borders
- Former District Tweeddale
- Former County Peebles-shire
NT24SE 66 2530 4039.
The Cross Keys Inn or Cleikum Inn, although much altered, appears to have originated in the 17th century, and to this period the main part of the building, an L-shaped block three storeys in height, may be attributed. The W front is partially concealed by a later outshot, behind which a number of old moulded window-jambs still survive. A triangular dormer-pediment, carved with a cinquefoil and bearing the date 1693, has been built into the W wall of the outshot for preservation. In the W wing a first-floor apartment known as the Scott Room retains a late 17th- century stone chimney-piece having a Georgian hob-grate. The building was originally a residence of the Williamsons of Cardrona, and the arrangement of the roof slates to form the initials W W known to have been in existence at least as early as 1836, may refer to Walter Williamson of Cardrona, who died in 1735. The building later became an inn, one of whose proprietors Miss Marion Ritchie, is thought to have been the original of Scott's character Meg Dods of the Cleikum Inn in St Ronan's Well.
Visited 1958
RCAHMS 1967
A watching brief on contractor's groundworks was undertaken on this 17th-century building. Two trenches in the rear garden were observed which indicated that the garden area had been made up and that the building had originally been cut back into the natural slope. Trenches inside the Victorian extension revealed nothing of archaeological interest.
Sponsor: Historic Scotland
R Cachart 1993.
Publication Account (1977)
Two hotels in Peebles have seventeenth-century portions. The Cross Keys Inn is a much-altered seventeenth-century structure (RCAHM, 1967, 279), while the County Hotel, although with an eighteenth-century facade, has a barrel vaulted cellar at the east end of the building on ground floor level which suggests that a portion of the hostelry might be sixteenth-or seventeenth-century (RCAHM, 1967, 277). The building known as Chambers Institution also maintains some sixteenth or seventeenth century portions, although when it was acquired by Mr. Chambers in 1857 the building was completely remodelled to serve as the library, art gallery and museum. It underwent further alterations in 1910 (RCAHM, 1967, 277). In a close known as Parliament Close leading off the south side of High Street is a two-storeyed eighteenth- century structure on the west side of the square (RCAHM, 1967, 277).
Information from ‘Historic Peebles: The Archaeological Implications of Development’ (1977).
Sbc Note
Visibility: This is an upstanding building.
Information from Scottish Borders Council.
