In 1777, Robert Rutherford — of the Borders’ longstanding Clan Rutherford – was declared a Baron of the Russian Empire by Catherine the Great, and bestowed with wealth. Soon returning home to Scotland, he purchased the 1,400-acre estate of Fairnington and set about becoming a liberal landlord. That tradition continues today, as the current owners have opened their private eastern wing to guests.
First erected in the early 1500s as a bastel house – a typical, fortified farm designed to repel plundering Border Reivers – Fairnington’s first incarnation was mostly destroyed in 1544 during the ‘Rough Wooing’, when English garrisons repeatedly raided Scottish territory to try and enforce Prince Edward’s marriage to an infant Mary Queen of Scots. It was rebuilt and extended amid the 17th and 20th centuries.
Part of the main house — but not overlooked and boasting its own entrance — Fairnington East Wing contains two ground-floor bedrooms. A vast, richly-designed main suite utilises the old master’s office, with original wood panelling (and a very solid safe) surrounding porcelain vases and a mahogany four-poster bed. The second, smaller bedroom’s own king-sized bed can split into two singles if necessary. A large, shared bathroom has a tub and walk-in rainfall shower.
Beside a framed, first-edition Ordnance Survey map of the area, stairs ascend to an open-plan living space whose many windows and elevated position ensure much light. One corner contains the kitchen, where speckled white-granite counters top navy-coloured cabinetry and built-in Siemens appliances. Counter stools enable casual chats, while a dining table awaits opposite. Beyond that beckon two sofas. There’s also a TV hidden inside a vibrant watercolour portraying the estate, and glorious views over rolling hills into England.
Below is your private portion of garden, from which hares, deer, owls, buzzards, woodpeckers and even a resident hedgehog are sometimes spied – along with the Milky Way at night. Just beyond, several piles of stones are all that remain of a former chapel or hospital conferred by Pope Urban III in 1186. Fairnington’s estate also contains the hilltop Baron’s Folly, an eye-catching octagonal tower ordered by Robert Rutherford.
Walkers are well placed: the long-distance St Cuthbert’s Way and Borders Abbeys Way pass nearby as the Presidents Route circular memorably includes an avenue of giant sequoias. Anglers might cast into the Tweed or Teviot for salmon. Kelso’s ruined abbey – and splendid market square – is eight miles away, with the Waterloo Monument, commemorating the Battle of Waterloo, closer still (and indeed visible from the property). For a donation, visitors can borrow the key and climb its many steps for more fabulous vistas.
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