Torwoodlee Tower

You might have thought by now that we would have found all the towers and ruins there were to find, but I seriously think we're just scratching the surface. Each time we adventure into a new location and search for hidden gems and fabulous places to find, more and more seem to pop up. While visiting Galashiels we found this magnificent ruin called Torwoodlee Tower.

The Pringle family (I'm not sure if they also make the crisps) first built a tower here way back in the early sixteenth century, however that stronghold didn't seem to last very long. In 1568 reivers from Liddesdale, including the notorious Armstrongs and Elliots, swept through this area pretty much burned everything to the ground. Refusing to be beaten, the Pringles built again in 1601, this time on a slightly different site and called it the Torwoodlee Tower.

The new tower was built to be both a defensive structure and also a suitable dwelling for the family. Inside, the laird and his family would have lived in the main hall while staff kept the estate running. It was not just a fortress, but a home where daily life carried on with a canny balance of protection and comfort.

Having a peep at the information there was also a terraced gardens that stretched out from the tower which would have grown herbs and fruit. It also claimed that alcoves in the walls held beehives so the bees could pollinate the plants and provide honey for the family's table.

A yew tree still stands near the courtyard and may well date from the tower's beginning. In the nearby woods there is apparently a grave site ringed by ancient yews that is thought to contain Pringle ancestors, although I didn't spy it when we visited.

Not everything was smooth sailing for the Torwoodlee Tower builders. At some point a substantial part of the tower gave way, a failure later described by the historian D. Brown as "the greatest mistake ever carried out by masons north of the Tweed". Even so, the tower remained in use for nearly two centuries until the Pringles moved into a new house in 1783 and left the old place behind.

Since then it has fallen into ruin as you can see today. It is a scheduled monument and conservation work has been carried out to stop it slipping away completely.

Why is it called Torwoodlee Tower?

Quite simply the name comes from the estate itself. The Pringle family took their title from the lands of Torwoodlee which they held from the early sixteenth century.

Tor is a common Scots and northern English word meaning a rocky hill or peak. Woodlee combines wood and lea (or lee), meaning a clearing or meadow. So Torwoodlee roughly translates to 'the wooded meadow by the hill.' The tower simply took the name of the estate when it was built in 1601.

Visiting is pretty straightforward. There is a parking bay with information board of the estate just above the tower and then a clear path down the left side should you want to get a close up.

Of course when you're done, don't forget to head up to the Torwoodlee Broch which is around a 15 min walk away.