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Picture: V Swain |
This website
continues to grow and the Community Council are very grateful for
contributions that continue to come in. We have a number yet
to add - in particular a number of historic photos. Our thanks
to those who have supplied these. There
are however a number of new items which have been added, including the history of the local churches, supplied by Raymond Allan. More
will be added as soon as possible so come
back soon - you will now see the latest update date shown in the left
hand navigation bar. Thanks for your patience in the meantime.
If you have
any further text or photographs or old postcards you would like to share via
the website (either attributed or anonymously) we would be delighted
to hear from you.
This cracking picture to the left was supplied by Vic Swain -
thanks, Vic! |
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About Ayton
The village of Ayton (population circa 570) lies a few miles
inland from the larger coastal town of Eyemouth, in East
Berwickshire, the Scottish Borders, in what remains a key arable
farming region of Scotland.
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Picture: P Wheelhouse |
Being on the main route (the “Great North Road”, now the A1)
between Edinburgh and London, and all parts in between, there has
been a settlement at Ayton since before the Roman invasion in the
first century AD, and the village is close to a hill fort occupied
by the same Celtic tribe (the Votadini) who founded Din Eidyn
(Dunedin or Edinburgh as it became known).
It was in the 1820s with the realignment of the Great North Road
that the village began to grow in its present location. In 1844 the
Edinburgh to Berwick railway was opened and a station at Ayton
benefited the village. It closed in 1966, although Ayton Community
Council are fully supportive of local efforts to reopen a
station on the East Coast mainline in the neighbouring
village of Reston..
After a fire destroyed
Ayton House in 1834 William Mitchell Innes built the present
baronial style Ayton
Castle (pictured in the banner above) on the site between
1846 and 1851. |
Ayton Castle is very much still a home, and its estate extends to
a considerable area around Ayton, but the castle is now occupied by
the Liddell-Grainger family and is also used as guest accommodation
and for equestrian events.
The oldest surviving building within the village is the Old Kirk,
also known as
St Dionysius’ Church, which dates back to the 12th
century and has been the venue for a number of peace treaties
between Scotland and England, which lies a mere seven miles to the South.
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The village was served by a public school located just off the
High Street from 1864 until 1974 when the present school was built.
Another significant building in Ayton is the
church, built in 1864,
which is a most impressive example of Gothic architecture and
demonstrates the wealth and influence of its benefactors.
Ayton continued to grow and had many shops and businesses
established in the late 19th and well into the 20th century. However
since the 1950s there has been a steady decline in these, in common
with many villages throughout the county of Berwickshire. Despite
this, Ayton remains home to a number of local businesses today and
is very much a thriving village, with a very lively and welcoming
community. We have an excellent local Pub, the Black Bull, a large
branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland, a solicitor's office (housing
the local post office) and much valued local shop, the Ayton Mini
Market. |
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Increasing traffic levels on the A1 was causing a problem for the
village, and the building of a bypass in the early 1980s provided
relief. This changed the character of the village, and although not
good for businesses relying on passing trade, such as the garage's
which are now closed, this has resulted in a more
environmentally friendly, safer community. The building of new
houses in recent years has increased the population slightly, with
people travelling daily as far as Edinburgh and Newcastle for
employment.
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