Berwick – The Border Town with the Confusing History

With the plethora of local government changes that seem to take place with regularity, you can be forgiven for wondering where exactly you live half the time. Those responsible for the changes point to the fact that nothing stays the same forever, and with population patterns being fluid, and towns and cities becoming better known as conurbations, the needs of cities become very different to the needs of counties.

Hence the arrival of places such as Cleveland, Teeside, Avon, West Midlands, Greater Manchester and so on. Powys takes in old Welsh counties such as Brecknockshire, Radnorshire and Montgomeryshire, and Scottish counties can be mystery, even to the Scots themselves.

But having been a little critical of the “change for change sake” attitude, at least you wake up each morning knowing what country you live in. Five hundred years ago, living in the border town of Berwick on Tweed, you wouldn't even had enjoyed that luxury. For the price that the poor old town paid for being set on one of the most disputed borders in Britain was that it changed ownership between England and Scotland on no less than twelve occasions.

Even now, with ownership having been settled with the English since 1482, there are many people who would consider that Berwick is more Scottish than English. The home town team play their football in the Scottish league system, the “on-Tweed” part of the name suggests a more Scottish background, and the local accent is definitely rooted more in the north of the border than the south.

As a town it had a certain wealth which made it appealing, although its position was of equal significance. The result was that England and Scotland fought over this small patch of land as if there were no tomorrow. The French, always a nation with an eye to the main chance, also came into the picture, but we won't dwell on that for the moment.

William Wallace's arm being waved about (without the rest of him) in 1305 was one of many indignities that poor old Berwick had to contend with. Having said that, all of this military to-ing and fro-ing has left a wide range historic remains that now form the backbone of a thriving tourism industry. After all that it has been through, surely it is no more than Berwick deserves.

Top of the list would surely be Berwick Castle, although the fact that it is a ruin is not wholly surprising. All of the action that it has seen surely makes up for the number of other castles throughout the country who have seen very little action at all. Edward I took an oath of allegiance here in the thirteenth century, but the all-action Victorian industrialists built a railway platform on the very spot! Conservation is a word that meant little to our nineteenth century forebearers.

Equally as impressive are the Elizabethan town walls. £129,000 these days can buy you a reasonable house in some parts of the country, but in those times you could encircle a whole town and still have change. They hold a Grade I listing these days, although once again, they destroyed a lot of what was there previously. This is a theme that is developing here, namely Berwick gets there in the end but has to survive a lot of knocking about first.

The ramparts surround the town, there being only four access points. Wonderful town and North Sea beach views can be obtained during the three quarters of an hour that it takes to complete the walk.

There is one particularly curiosity about Berwick's history that had mighty Russia quaking in its boots and that was the fact that Berwick was once at war with that country. Historically some proclamations were made “in the name of England, Scotland and the town of Berwick-on-Tweed”, such as a “minor” one in 1850 when war was declared on Russia and the Crimean War ensued. When peace was eventually ratified, the wording “Berwick-on-Tweed” was left out, leaving Berwick, shall we say, slightly exposed. Fortunately things have been resolved, so that the Russians could at last sleep at night.

Look out for the viaduct that was opened on completion by Queen Victoria in 1850, having been designed by Robert Stephenson, son of George Stephenson of “The Rocket” fame. It looks fabulous when floodlit, a fine introduction to the town. Enjoy the attractions, the farmers markets and the Northumberland National Park, as well as the Heritage Coastline. Take the chance to pop over the border into Scotland, just a couple of miles north of the town. You never know, it could be time for a change again!