Welcome to the Parish of Eddleston
Eddleston is a delightful conservation village in the soft rolling Scottish Borders countryside. It is situated four miles from the county town of Peebles, in the heart of beautiful Tweeddale, and is eighteen miles south of Edinburgh. The parish is made up of the village itself, plus quite a number of surrounding farms. It is a very popular destination for walkers, and cyclists (using our recent new cycle path ), and many visitors come to see The Great Polish Map of Scotland, which is a large physical relief map of Scotland ,standing in the grounds of the Barony Castle.
There has been a worshipping community in the village since the missions of St Mungo (Kentigern) in the late 6th or early 7th century, with a Church building since the 12th Century. The present building was extensively rebuilt in 1897 after a fire, and the vestry and chancel were added then. The church bell, which hangs in the belfry, was cast in 1507 and is one of the oldest in the country. It was thought to have been donated by the Murrays of Black Barony, to celebrate their arrival in the village. In the original graveyard, which is situated around the Church, there are headstones dating back to the 18th Century, identifying local farm owners and other tradesmen, such as candlemakers and shoemakers.
The village has a Village Hall, The Horseshoe Inn , which is an award winning country pub with rooms, and the Barony Castle Hotel. There is also a primary school, which is presently closed.
Eddleston Church is in a linking with Peebles Old Parish Church and Stobo and Drumelzier Churches, and offers a warm welcome for all visitors. Services are held at 11.30 am each Sunday. Services are led by our minister, Rev Aftab Gohar, every second Sunday. The church’s own worship leaders lead worship on the alternate Sundays.
Eddleston Church plays an important part in the life of Eddleston village and the parish community. Over the years it has initiated and developed some very successful outreach programmes.
Eddleston Voices.
This was first started by the church’s late session clerk and musical director, Mrs Lorraine Mullholland in 2008. It is very much a community choir rather than a church choir, but members who want to, can take part in some church services throughout the year. The choir is for anyone who enjoys singing and no auditions are required. It meets for rehearsals in the church every Thursday evening from 7.30 till 9pm. A wide range of music is included in the choir’s repertoire, thus finding something to suit everyone. The choir organises a Community Carols event at Christmas, performs at and organises village coffee mornings( for charity) and holds a summer concert in the church in June. Being part of the choir is a great way to get to know people in the local area and many good friendships have developed through The Voices. We have very enjoyable social evenings throughout the year with lots of singing, good food and some wine! A warm and very friendly welcome awaits everyone.
For more information contact Tricia Harwell, choir leader, at music.eddleston@gmail.com or committee member, Janette Dunlop at dunlop28@btinternet.com
Crochet Group
The Church crochet group began in 2018 at Dovecot Nursing Home with several attendees, most of whom had never crocheted before. The first few weeks were spent on the basics and making granny squares. When covid came along things changed. We meet now on Monday afternoons and enjoy a cuppa whilst we crochet. Sometimes everyone is working on their own project, but other times we all work on the same project. We’re currently crocheting textured blankets; much to the surprise of the group they’re doing really well. You’ll see a finished one in the photos. We’re small in number but every bit as enthusiastic as the day we started.
Church Craft Group
The Church craft group is held on Tuesday afternoons. We try to meet
fortnightly but sometimes that’s not possible so we are pretty flexible with
dates. We all take turns of teaching the rest of the group new crafts. We’re up
for learning anything and donate towards the cost of materials. We’ve tried
out lots of crafts from silk painting to jewellery making. Sometimes we do things for the village like painting Baby Jesus Rocks at Christmas or making little Easter baskets, for people to find. It’s fun and casual.
If you’re interested in joining, feel free to contact Christine, on 01721 730764. Please leave a message.
Bite and a Blether
The church has always looked for new ways to reach out into the community. It was doing exactly that in 2014 when it decided what better way than to invite people to get together on a weekly basis, in a friendly and relaxed environment, to share a simple lunch. A Bite and a Blether was launched in April 2014 and has gone from strength to strength over the years. It continues to be popular with the community and is very well supported every week. This was evident at its recent 10th birthday celebration. It is run weekly, in Eddleston Village Hall, by teams of 3 volunteers , on an eight week cycle. Local Peebles Butcher and Baker, Forsyths, supplies the bacon and rolls , thus ensuring that as well as supporting the community this initiative also supports the local economy.
£4 is charged for a bacon or cheese roll, along with a wide selection of cakes and tray bakes, provided by the volunteers, and as much tea and coffee as you want. B and B is open every Wednesday throughout the year from 12 to 1.30pm. It only “ closes” over Christmas when there is a three week break. It is attended not only by local residents but also by people from Peebles, Innerleithen and even Edinburgh. At times we have pre-arranged visits from an Edinburgh based cycling club. Over the years many new friendships have been formed through Bite and a Blether, so it is doing exactly what the church hoped it would . A warm welcome awaits everyone who comes along to the village hall on a Wednesday.
