Population 1,813 (2001) Civil parish Coldstream Lieutenancy area Berwickshire Local time Wednesday 4:31 PM | OS grid reference NT841398 Council area Scottish Borders Country Scotland Dialling code 01890 | |
 | ||
Weather 11°C, Wind SW at 35 km/h, 62% Humidity Points of interest Etal Castle, Coldstream Museum, Henderson Park | ||
Coldstream (Scottish Gaelic: An Sruthan Fuar , Scots: Caustrim) is a town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Tweed in Berwickshire, while Northumberland in England lies to the south bank, with Cornhill-on-Tweed the nearest village. A former burgh, Coldstream is the home of the Coldstream Guards, a regiment in the British Army, and is the location where Edward I of England invaded Scotland in 1296. At the 2001 census, the town had a population of 1,813, which was estimated to have risen to 2,050 by 2006. The parish, in 2001, had a population of 2,186.
Contents
Map of Coldstream, UK
In February 1316 during the Wars of Scottish Independence, Sir James Douglas defeated a numerically superior force of Gascon soldiery led by Edmond de Caillou at the Skaithmuir to the north of the town.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Coldstream was a popular centre for runaway marriages, much like Gretna Green, as it lay on a major road (now the A697). Notable buildings in the town include the toll house where marriages were conducted, and The Hirsel, which is the family seat of the Earls of Home.
A monument to Charles Marjoribanks, MP for Berwickshire, whose ancestral home was in nearby Lees, stands at the east end of the town, near the Coldstream Bridge.
Alec Douglas-Home, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1963 to 1964, is buried in Coldstream.
Each year, during the first week of August, Coldstream hosts a traditional "Civic Week" where it includes historical aspects of the town's history such as the Torchlight procession and horse-rides to the Battle of Flodden battlefield.
In 2015, retired Coldstream guards officer and travel writer Harry Bucknall walked from Coldstream to St Pauls Cathedral in London following the journey made by George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle when he marched from Coldstream to London enabling the Restoration of King Charles II.