Welcome to the Parish of Eddleston
Welcome to the Parish of Eddleston, a delightful conservation village in the soft rolling Borders countryside, only four miles from the county town of Peebles, in the heart of beautiful Tweeddale and eighteen miles south of Edinburgh. The parish is made up of the village itself plus quite a number of surrounding farms and in 2018, the population of the Eddleston Area was 843. It is a popular destination for walkers, cyclists and, more recently, visitors to The Great Polish Map of Scotland, a large physical relief map of Scotland which stands 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 1829 after a fire when the vestry and chancel were added. 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 Blackbarony to celebrate their arrival in the village. The original graveyard around the Church has headstones dating back to the 18th Century, identifying the local farm owners and other tradesmen such as candle makers and shoemakers.
The village has a primary school, The Horseshoe Inn which is an award winning country pub with rooms and the Barony Castle hotel.
Eddleston Church is linked with Peebles Old Parish Church and Stobo and Drumelzier and offers a warm welcome for all visitors. Services are held at 11.30 am each Sunday.
Eddleston church plays an important part in the life of Eddleston village and the parish community and its outreach programme includes:
• A Bite and a Blether – a chance for villagers and visitors to meet over tea or coffee, bacon rolls and home baking each Wednesday from 11.30-13.00 in the Village Hall.
• Eddleston Voices – the local community choir which practises each Thursday evening and presents a concert every June in the church, as well as performing throughout Peeblesshire.
• Eddleston Parish Church Junior Choir which practises in the church every Thursday afternoon.
• A Craft Group in which people meet and share their skills and ideas in an informal social setting.
• ‘Chat in the Hat’ – an informal social-cum-discussion group.
For further information please contact : hayley.stewart@talktalk.net