Another postcard view, this time of Wilton Lodge Park. Formerly known as the Langlands Estate, the lands here occupied the western half of Wilton from 1451. The Laird of Langlands was said to have ceremoniously observed the marking of his estate boundary with Hawick in the early 1700s at the Coble Pool and Roughheugh Mill. The estate diminished gradually during the 18th century, and was sold off entirely in 1783 to Thomas Elliot. It then passed to Lord Napier around 1790, James Anderson c.1805 and finally to the Pringle family. It was Mr Anderson who ordered the creation of the current park road in order to improve access to his estate in 1810. In 1868, the remaining mansion house was renamed Wilton Lodge. A carved stone above the entrance has the letters DMP, which represent the initials of the last private owners, David and Mary Pringle. Masonry bears half of the Pringle and Anderson coats of arms, with the motto sursum corda or lift up your heart. On the gable overlooking the War Memorial there are also two biblical texts. In 1889, Hawick Burgh Council bought the house and adjoining estate at a cost of £14,000, to form a public park. The boundaries of the park were first ridden on the Common Riding Saturday in 1890. The current house dates from around 1790. The walls of a much older fortified house were discovered in the grounds behind. It was remodelled in 1859 (which shows on a date stone), when an extra storey and bow windows were added. The building was utilised as a private school from 1892 to 1898, then lay unoccupied for a few years while the Council contemplated many suggestions for its use. Finally it was converted into Hawicks permanent museum in 1910, when the Archaeological Societys extensive collection was moved there. A 25 foot captured German field gun was positioned outside from 1920, but was removed during WWII. Extensive renovations were carried out in 1959 to showcase local exhibits, and in 1975 the Scott Gallery extension was added. In 1984 the Museum became the headquarters for the Roxburgh District Museums Service. In early 2007, a new lift was added and other renovations carried out. #prohawick
Posted on: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 19:42:53 +0000