Paxton, Scottish Borders

Village in Scottish Borders, Scotland

Human settlement in Scotland

Scottish Borders

Berwickshire

CountryScotlandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townBERWICK-UPON-TWEEDPostcode districtTD15Dialling code01289PoliceScotlandFire Scottish AmbulanceScottish UK Parliament

Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk

Scottish Parliament

Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire

List of places: UK; Scotland

55°46′12″N 2°06′18″W / 55.770°N 2.105°W / 55.770; -2.105

Paxton is a small village near the B6461 and the B6460, in the pre-1975 ancient county of Berwickshire, now an administrative area of the Scottish Borders region of Scotland. It lies 1 mile west of the border with Northumberland, near Berwick-upon-Tweed. It is a traditional, country village surrounded by farmland, and its closest market towns are Duns and Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Paxton is beside the River Tweed which is the border at that point and on Whiteadder Water. Paxton is also the location of Paxton House.

Linking Scotland and England, the nearby Union Chain Bridge, opened in 1820, was the longest wrought iron suspension bridge in the world. It was also the first of its kind in Britain.

History

Traditionally home to villagers working on the land or in the salmon fishery on the Tweed, Paxton is said to be the birthplace of the song Robin Adair:

Paxton's a fine snug place, Robin Adair,

It's a wondrous couthie place, Robin Adair;

Let Whiteadder rin a spate,

Or the wind blow at ony rate,

Yet I'll meet thee on the gait, Robin Adair.

The settlement at Paxton was burnt by an English army in November 1542.^[1]