Newtown St Boswells


Newtown St Boswells is a village in the historic county of Roxburghshire which serves as the administrative centre of the Scottish Borders council area. Lying on the Bowden Burn, Newtown St Boswells is situated between the larger settlements of St Boswells to the south-east and Melrose to the north-west.

History

Newtown St Boswells is an old settlement, well-established by the 16th century. The town has been known at various times as Newtoune, Newtown of Eildon, Neuton and Newtown of Dryburgh. It lies split between the civil parishes of Melrose and St Boswells.
Historically, Newtown St Boswells was a centre for milling grain, with watermills on its burns). It became a regional centre of communication and an exporter of livestock after the opening of its railway station. This importance has declined since the closure of the station in 1969.
From 1975 to 1996, the town served as the administrative centre for Borders Regional Council. Since the reform of local government in Scotland, it has been the centre of the Scottish Borders council area and the Headquarters of the local authority is within the village.

Development proposals

Newtown plans on developing a major housing development, which could double the population of the village. This will add 900 homes to the village. The re-opening of the Waverley railway line, which connects the nearby village of Tweedbank with Edinburgh, may provide opportunities for the village to become a commuter settlement.
Proposals to expand and move the town's livestock auction facilities to the other side of the A68 road were approved in 2007, freeing up space for residential building.

Education

The town is served by Newtown Primary School and St Boswells Primary School, which are feeder schools to Earlston High School, located about in Earlston.