| Archived Blogs |
| Sneak Preview for Happy Holly-dayHead Gardener David shows us his wreath making skills! |
| Guides Christmas LunchAlmost forty seasonal and full time staff from BHT held their annual Christmas lunch at the Kingsknowes Hotel in Galashiels on Thursday 3rd December.
Crackers were pulled, jokes were told and a successful year at Bowhill celebrated. Many thanks to Gilbert and Barbara for organising the lunch – the rice pudding with hot cherry sauce was to die for!
2010 beckons and with the enthusiasm and commitment from all our staff both seasonal and part time, we look forward to an even more successful year ahead.
Trish, House Manager |
| Buccleuch Estates Norwegian Spruce Erected in Jenners The 40ft Norwegian spruce from our Bowhill Estate is erected and decorated in Jenners department store in Edinburgh. It took a police escort, members of Ross High Rugby Club and the removal of the revolving doors to eventually get the 40ft tree in place. |
| Rally of the Tests 2009Last Sunday, 1st November, Bowhill Estate had over 80 Classic Cars through the Estate as part of a Classic Rally Assosiation Event. These cars ranged from a Sunbeam Aplines and Sunbeam Tiger to Porsche's, Volvo's and a Ford Zodiac!
Sarah |
| Picking of Jenners Christmas TreeBosses at Jenners have decided to replace their giant fake tree with a 40ft Norwegian spruce picked from our very own Bowhill Estate. |
| Wizards, Witches and weird goings onIf you happened to be in the woods at Bowhill last Friday night, you were in for a big surprise! Some well known characters such as Sir Walter Scott, Michael Scott the Wizard, Border Reivers, a headless horseman (The Duke of Monmouth), a large brown bear and some strange ghostly apparitions were to be seen making an appearance during the annual Haunted History of Buccleuch ghost walk. Feedback from our audience suggests that this was the best ghost walk yet so make a date in your diary for next year’s walk which takes place annually at Halloween.
Trish, House Manager (and ghost!) |
| The gardening year never endsAs the lawnmowers are put away for the winter, the hard work begins. The main job is to tidy up the borders and leaves to prepare for next year. On top of this, there is the renovation work which is always ongoing. This year this includes finishing the Sunken Garden, removing the overgrown Rhododendrons on the Drive side and thinning the trees around the terraces in conjunction with the Forestry Department. All these areas will be replanted and maintained. We are also going to reinstate a border at the front of Bowhill House.
David, Head Gardener
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| Work Experience 5-9 OctoberI have been doing my work experience at Bowhill for the past week and have really enjoyed it, everything I have done from cutting back trees and clearing out flower beds to working with schools and working on play park ideas, it has all been enjoyable. The highlight of the week has been seeing an otter hiding under leaves in the gardens. The week has been valuable to me as it has given me an idea of what I might want to do after leaving school. Thanks to every one at Bowhill who I have worked with and met in my week.
Michael Paton.
We would all like to thank Michael for his valuable contribution last week, it was nice to have some fresh ideas, views and opinions. The biscuits were also well received! - BHT Office |
| 23-27th September: Clan Scott GatheringWell we have nearly recovered from the fantastic week that was our first ever Clan Scott Gathering! Every event was well attended and great fun and the feedback so far has been very positive. We are busy gathering photographs and final numbers etc and soon we will compile details on the website. Watch this space! |
| Good Luck for the FutureThe last month we have had to say au revoir and goodbye to several members of seasonal staff. Hopefully our House Guides, Tearoom and Shop staff will once again return to us but to our Seasonal Ranger Fiona we wish all the best as she takes on a new challenge.
Thank you all for your help and commitment over the summer season. |
| Sister Site SuccessWe would like to congratulate Drumlanrig Castle on also becoming a 5 Star visitor attraction. For more details about Drumlanrig visit www.drumlanrig.com |
| 17 Sept: Bowhill Sees StarsWe have recently found out that we have achieved 5 stars in VisitScotlands quality assurance scheme. We are all delighted that all the hard work has paid off!
Hoorah!
Sarah, Visitor Services Manager |
| 15 Sept: Only a week and a bit to goWell it’s hotting up here as we get ready for our Clan Scott Gathering! We are getting excited about seeing so many new faces here at Bowhill and to sharing our beautiful country with friends from all over the world. The Muster, which is happening on 26th September, is the main event when everyone can get together and locals can mix with those from across the globe and enjoy an amazing assortment of entertainment we are working hard to bring you. Join us for music, singing, dancing, animal displays, competitions, shopping, and more. Let your mouth water at some of the offerings on sale in our catering area, everything from burgers to genuine haggis (caught fresh that morning!) sandwiches, cakes, coffees and ice cream. It’s the place to be… mark the date in your diary and don’t miss it!
Helen. Education / Events Manager |
| Heritage TreesThe Woodland Trust is undertaking an Ancient Tree Hunt to find, measure, record and map all the fat old trees across the United Kingdom. It will create a comprehensive living database of all ancient trees that will help every one of us to cherish and care for these magnificent heritage trees.
Me, Lynsey and volunteers from Reivers Industries have been out and about over the last couple of weeks on the Bowhill estate measuring, recording and mapping all our fat old trees. To date, we have measured and recorded 11 trees with the biggest tree being a Sitka Spruce that had a trunk circumference of a massive 5 metres.
Why not come along to Bowhill and see how many ancient old trees you can count for yourselves.
Fiona, Countryside Ranger |
| 2009 Summer SeasonAlthough Bowhill House closed at the end of August to the general public, the House & Country Estate is available at other times by request for educational and private groups of all ages.
We are delighted to report that visitor numbers to the house have doubled compared to 2008 and the number of season passes sold has also increased. We are now planning events for 2010 but keep your eye on the blog for details of our new structure in the Adventure Playground.
Trish, House Manager |
| Last Day of OpeningThe Scottish weather has put a dampener on the last day of our summer opening however there are still a few brave souls here today braving the weather conditions! It has been a fantastic couple of months despite the weather and we have enjoyed chatting to all our visitors from near and far. We hope to see you all again in September at our Homecoming event, for more details see our homecoming page.
Lynsey, Countryside Ranger |
| Scocha Tickets We have had a lot of enquiries about Scocha tickets. For those of you who do not wish to book online at www.thebooth.co.uk, tickets are now available from Rodgersons newsagent in Selkirk and from our office, (Buccleuch Heritage Trust Office) at Bowhill either in person, Monday-Friday 9-5 , or over the phone on 01750 22204.
Hope this helps! Sarah |
| Sweet Bowhill"When summer smiled on Sweet Bowhill..." Sir Walter Scott wrote these words about Bowhill in his work the "Lay of the Last Minstrel". This Saturday, 29th August, we are celebrating Sir Walter Scott in our Sweet Bowhill event. |
| 24 August - New SignsLook out for our new signage making an impact on the drive up to Bowhill. The old white and green signs have now been replaced with the new 'Bowhill' green. Let us know what you think
Sarah, Visitor Services Manager |
| New Muster Banners at BowhillOur contribution to Homecoming Scotland takes place from the 24 – 27 September with our flagship event being The Muster on Friday 26th. Look out for the orange banners which should start appearing all over the Borders. Perhaps you know of a good spot to put one? Let us know and we will do our best to put it up.
Trish, House Manager
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| Visitor Numbers IncreaseOpening the house to visitors in August has been very successful with the number of visitors to date exceeding that for the whole of August last year. We have welcomed visitors from most European countries as well as the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and Asia. The language skill of the house guides has certainly been put to the test!
Trish, House Manager
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| Silver Exhibition at BowhillThe Duke of Buccleuch who is president of the Royal Blind School hosted their summer event at Bowhill House with an exhibition of the Duke's silver collection. The event raised more than £1,500 for the School. There was a lecture on silverware by Gordon MacFarlane, director of auctioneering house, Bonhams of Scotland. The event was held in the Italian Room and guests were given a guided tour of other rooms in the house. |
| Who would have thought?When Sir Walter Scott met Robbie Burns and Williams Wallace!! |
| 25-26 July 2009 - Homecoming WeekendWe had a fabulous time at the Gathering at the weekend, meeting and chatting with people from the Scott Clan. The march up the Royal Mile under the Scott banner was spectacular and a huge thank you to those like minded Scotts who came along and joined in the fun. We look forward to meeting up with you all again in the near future, perhaps at the first ever international Clan Scott gathering to be held at Bowhill on Saturday 26th September |
| 25-26 July 2009 - Homecoming ScotlandStaff are busy preparing for the 'Clan Homecoming' to be held in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, this weekend as part of the Homecoming celebrations.
We will be in attendance at the Clan Scott Tent, so if you are a member of the Clan Scott Society or belong to the wider Scott family why not pop in and say hello? |
| 7 July 2009 - New Arrival at BowhillRegular visitors to Bowhill may notice something different on the main drive approach to the House.
Yes, the old hut has finally bit the dust and a spanking new version has been put in its place.
It has been referred to as “the Chalet”, “the Lodge” and “the Hut” but we feel that it is too grand for any of these, so please let us have your suggestions via the feedback page and you never know, on your next visit it may have a spanking new name plaque! |
| 1 June 2009 - Insight ToursWe have just completed the last of our series of "Insight Tours". These are talks and tours which focus on particular aspects of the collection and allow those who come along to have a good look at, for example, a couple of portraits, and learn something about how they were painted, and the backgrounds of both subject and artist. These are informal and friendly tours and allow lots of questions and comment from participants. So far we have covered Walter Francis the 5th Duke of Buccleuch and taken a look at the protraits of Sir Walter Scott by Sir Henry Raeburn, and James, Duke of Monmouth by Sir Peter Lely.
The tours have been very well received. Those who come along really like the opportunity to take a peek at some of the treasures at a time when the House is normally closed to the public. Also - no doubt the superb afternoon tea which comes at the end of the afternoon has something to do with it! This always gets full marks, using as it does fresh local prduce all beautifully served in our newly refurbished Minstrel Room.
We will hold another series of these tours later on, so keep an eye out for details. Also, if there are any particular aspects of the collection you would like us to take a look at, why not email us to let us know?
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| 11 May 2009 - New Countryside RangerToday we welcome Fiona Wilson to Bowhill, our new seasonal countryside ranger. |
| 3 May 2009 - Merry May DayOur first ever May Day celebration took place at Bowhill on Sunday, 3 May 2009. Among the attractions on offer were Victorian games on the front lawn including croquet, quoits, a coconut shy and traditional races for children. The Victorian kitchen was brought to life with cooks in costume baking scones and the aptly named "Victoria" sponge. We had a swing roundabout in the courtyard for children, a barrel organ which had everyone tapping their feet and an opportunity for everyone to have their own souvenir of the day with a cut out Victorian version of the old seaside photographic opportunity.
Visitors of all ages had permanent smiles on their faces and although the sunshine on the day might have had somehting to do with it, the feedback from visitors suggested it was the atmosphere and the good humour of everyone who was involved which helped to make it such a success.
We are looking to make Merry May Day a permanent feature on the Bowhill calendar. |
| 2 May 2009 - New AppointmentBowhill and Kirkhope Primary School have appointed their very first Junior Ranger, Christopher Gray. Lynsey Menmuir (Bowhill Ranger) and Mo Brown (Kirkhope Headteacher) came up with the idea of training the children at Kirkhope Primary School with identification and monitoring flora and fauna, map reading skills and interview skills. All of which taught them important life skills to prepare them for the world of job interviews when they are older. This was done as part of Kirkhope's Ecoschools commitment and Bowhill's Green Toursim Award. |
| 1 May 2009 - Healthy Living Award Bowhill's newly refurbished "Minstrel Tearoom" has achieved the 'Healthy Living Award' by making our menu generally healthier by offering more fruit and veg, and using less salt, sugar and fat. |
| 15 April 2009 - Easter Weekend The team at Bowhill welcomed a record number of visitors to enjoy the facilities in the Country Estate over the holiday weekend. Warm, sunny weather encouraged children and adults alike to join in the Easter Fun Day activities with trails and quizzes, to dress up in Victorian costume and to challenge each other with a game of giant draughts in the courtyard.
Visitors were able to sample our Healthy Eating Award menu* in the newly refurbished tea room and our woodland adventure playground with its aerial walkways, fox slides and climbing equipment kept children of all ages happy for ages!
For those of you with short memories, last year was bitterly cold and snowing at Easter and the awful weather continued well into the summer. Finger's crossed that the fantastic weather over Easter is a good omen for the summer to come.
*we are striving to achieve the Healthy Living Award by making our menu generally healthier by offering more fruit and veg, using less salt, sugar and fat - we will hopefully hear about the award in 3 weeks! |
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