Dryburgh Abbey in the Scottish Borders

The rambling ruins of Dryburgh Abbey could not be more beautifully dilapidated. The grand scale and intricate structure show the great historical significance of this site. The abbey at Dryburgh became the premier of the 6 Premonstratensian houses in Scotland. Once the abbey had ceased to function it still held religious status to such an extent that it attracted several prominent internments. In 1150 Hugh de Moreville the Constable of Scotland invited Premonstratensian Canons from Alnwick Priory to take residence at Dryburgh. On the banks of the Tweed the Abbey grew and expanded, but by the protestant reformations reduced the abbey so that by 1584 there were just 2 brethren recorded as remaining here.

The acoustics inside the 13th-century Chapter House are superb. Any recognised speaker could have risen from their stall and held the floor in this meeting room. A spoken voice can be clearly heard in part of the stone chamber. If you bring voices together in harmony the reverberations created here are superb. On the walls there are the remains of the plaster decoration and some surviving paint. This gem sits in the heart of the complex and it gives us an aural gateway back in time to a world that we can almost still hear in the timbre of our voices and echo of our footfalls.

The abbey is close by several other historic monuments and all of them enjoy the tranquil surroundings of this now quiet haven. The locality must once have been a hive of activity but the ruins now rest in peace. In 1322 the peal of the abbey bells is said to have attracted the attention of King Edward II's troops who set fire to the property. There are signs of much development in the extant structures. David Erskine, 11th Earl of Buchan purchased Dryburgh House and began construction of Temple of Caledonian Fame. This extended temple was to stretch out like a park with monuments to Scotland's great and good, but it was also set to include references to worthy figures from abroad. The structures standing close by deserve a visit and it easy to see how the fortunes of Dryburgh rose again during Buchan's building works only to ebb back to the contemporary level where the monuments are being preserved for tourists but not further extended.