History

The Scottish Borders is full of history from the blood curdling cross-Border battles to its contribution to literature and the arts, sport and the textile industry. The County Hotel, sitting prominently in the centre of Selkirk has witnessed it all.

Its importance as a venue for the great and the good was highlighted in this article which appeared in The Scotsman in April 1932:

"One of the clubs with which Sir Walter Scott was intimately associated - the Forest Club met in the County Hotel, Selkirk, on Thursday evening. The Forest Club writes a correspondent on the Borders, ranks among the oldest and most exclusive clubs in the country. Its members include those who belong to distinctive families of ancient Ettrick Forest - the kinsmen of the Bold Buccleuch, Wat o' Harden, and others.

Along with others who have left their name brightly inscribed on the records of Scotland, Sir Walter attended a number of the dinners of the Club, and there would be occasion for companionship and conversation after his own heart. Among the precious souvenirs of the past which the Club possesses is a silver dog collar to which are attached medals bearing the names of winners at the coursing in the days of "yesterday". One of these recalls how Sir Walter won with his dog, Hector, in the year after Waterloo.

The ballroom in which the Forest Club meets is one of the most picturesque and historic in the Border country. It is a beautiful room, with its old-world musicians' gallery, and its walls hung with tapestry, sporting prints, and trophies of the chase. It has many memories of Scott, who presided for over thirty years in the old Court-room just across the way.It was there on one occasion that Sir Walter insisted upon his daughter singing to the company, "Up wi' the Souters o' Selkirk," the song which is so closely associated with the Common Riding. Dining in that olden room of the County Hotel is a delightful experience for lovers of the past.

Besides the "Shirra," there are memories of the Duke of Wellington, Sir John Moore, Mungo Park, James Hogg, Southey, John Wesley, Prince Leopold of Belgium, and other patrons down the years. Could these walls but speak and one had sufficient cunning with the pen to interpret aright their whispered memories, what a fascinating chapter could be written around the Forest Club, and that ballroom in the Forest Capital."

For more information on the heritage of the Scottish Borders we recommend you visit the following site
www.scottishbordersheritage.co.uk