Kelso firm M&J Ballantyne Ltd is currently carrying out the conservation and refurbishment of the historic property where Scott, author of novels including Rob Roy and Ivanhoe, wrote many of his best-selling works. The firm will call on the expertise of over 40 of its staff to restore the home’s famous rooms, develop new offices and an education suite and convert the Hope Scott wing of the house into new 5-star visitor accommodation.

The floors discovered under carpets outside Scott’s former study are painted in a marble effect and are thought to be part of the original decorative scheme commissioned by Scott from David Ramsay Hay who later decorated Holyrood Palace for Queen Victoria.  Tradesmen have also unearthed part of the private gas works at Abbotsford.  The house was one of the first in Scotland to have gas lighting, although the fumes from the works are thought to have contributed to Scott’s poor health in later years. 

M&J Ballantyne have also discovered a well within the house which appears to come from the period before Scott purchased the estate at Abbotsford in 1811, when the site was occupied by Cartleyhole Farm.

Matthew Withey, curator at Abbotsford, said; “We always hoped that the restoration work at Abbotsford would yield some fascinating finds and we have not been disappointed.  The treasures uncovered so far are a wonderful insight into the history of this amazing property and help tell us much about the way Scott lived and his love of craftsmanship and innovation. We’re greatly looking forward to seeing what other secrets will be uncovered as the project progresses.”

Grand Davidson, Contracts Manager, M&J Ballantyne Ltd said; “We’re delighted to be working on such an important regeneration project.  We have a great deal of expertise gleaned from our work on numerous historic properties such as Floors Castle near Kelso, Dewars Lane Granary in Berwick upon Tweed and Ednam House Hotel in Kelso and are pleased that we can use our experience to help develop one of the most significant restoration and conservation projects the Borders and Scotland has seen in recent years.”

The main house at Abbotsford is currently closed to the public but will re-open in 2013. A new Visitor Centre is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in Summer 2012. 

The Abbotsford Trust has so far raised 75% of the £14.5 million required to safeguard Abbotsford’s long-term future.  The Trust is continuing its work to raise the remaining £3.7 million needed to secure Scott’s globally-recognised heritage for the Borders, Scotland and beyond. Donations can be made via the Abbotsford website or by contacting The Trust on 01896 752043.

Beverley told us about her trip.

We were part of a Scottish delegation travelling with VisitBritain and VisitScotland to meet travel operators from Russia and Russian speaking countries such as Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgystan.

Our trip started in a rather chilly Moscow (-15°C) where we attended some pre-booked appointments and networking events with a mix of luxury, corporate and group travel operators as well as overseas events organizers and meetings and incentive travel agents.

The reception for the Scottish contingent, and Abbotsford in particular, was incredible.  Sir Walter Scott is really well-known and much-loved in Russia where many see him as the grandfather of modern Russian literature because of his influence on the country’s literary heroes such as Tolstoy and Pushkin.

Because of this, we know that there’s an important untapped market there for us with the potential to bring many Russian visitors to Abbotsford in the near future.  The delegates were all fascinated to hear about Scott’s former home and the changes we’re making to develop Abbotsford as a world-class visitor attraction.  As well as learning about the new visitor centre and the restoration of the house, they were also excited at the prospect of being able to stay at Abbotsford once our beautiful new visitor accommodation is completed next year.

The evening in Moscow was spent introducing the delegates to some fine Scottish culture as we danced the Gay Gordons accompanied by a Russian, Gaelic-speaking, piper and World Champion accordionist from Inverness.  Then it was off to the stunning city of St Petersburg for more meetings with important contacts in the travel trade.  We met around 400 delegates in all, many of who haven’t previously looked at Scotland as a potential destination but who are now keen to talk about what we can offer their customers.

It was a hectic but successful trip and one that we hope will result in many more Russian-speaking visitors once Abbotsford opens it doors again following its restoration.

Sir Walter and his works have been well known in Russia since they were first published there in the 1820s. He is seen by many as the father of modern Russian literature with his writing influencing many of the country’s literary giants including Tolstoy and Pushkin who declared in 1824 that Scott was “food for the soul’. Scott’s works were taught on the country’s school curriculum until as recently as 2010.

Abbotsford’s Marketing Manager, Beverley Rutherford and Ros Dryden, manager of the new visitor centre which will open on-site later this year, will be part of a delegation of Scottish tourism businesses travelling with VisitScotland and VisitBritain to meet face to face with travel operators from Russia and Russian speaking countries including Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgystan.

Jason Dyer, Chief Executive, the Abbotsford Trust said;

“Sir Walter Scott’s influence has extended right across the globe and today in countries like Russia, his work is probably more well known than it is in Scotland.  We believe there is a tremendous opportunity for Abbotsford to attract visitors from Russia and beyond to come and visit the place where the majority of Scott’s great works were written. Our new visitor centre opens this Summer and when combined with the newly-restored Abbotsford which opens again in 2013, we believe we will have an attraction with international appeal that will bring visitors from all over the world to the Scottish Borders.”

The new Visitor Centre at Abbotsford is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in early Summer 2012.  The main house is currently closed to the public to allow an extensive programme of restoration and refurbishment.  It will re-open in 2013.

Rosalind will be responsible for all commercial operations at Abbotsford, including the new Abbotsford Visitor Centre which is set to open next year as part of a multi-million pound regeneration of Scott’s much-loved home.

Over £10 million has so far been raised as part of an ongoing fundraising campaign to pay for developments including significant restoration of the fabric of the Abbotsford building itself and improved visitor facilities to encourage further local, national and international visitors.  The Hope Scott wing of the house is also being sensitively restored and developed into high quality guest accommodation, providing income to help safeguard Abbotsford’s future.

A law graduate from Northumberland, Rosalind has extensive experience in the high-end hospitality business and will set up and manage the new Abbotsford guest accommodation in addition to overseeing the Abbotsford Visitor Centre’s high quality retail and catering operations.  The building will incorporate interpretation of Scott’s life and achievements, a shop, a stylish café and function room as well as a balcony with stunning views across the walled garden to the main house.  The Visitor Centre’s timber frame is now in place and work is on course for an early Summer 2012 opening.

Rosalind Dryden said;

“I’m delighted to be joining the knowledgeable and dedicated team here at Abbotsford. It’s extremely exciting to be working on such an important project at such a key stage in its development. There’s a huge amount of hard work to be done before we open next year but I’m greatly looking forward to playing my part and helping to create an amazing visitor centre that the public will visit again and again.”

Jason Dyer, Chief Executive, The Abbotsford Trust said;

“We believe that Rosalind’s experience is ideal for helping us fulfill our vision to create world-class attraction that will help us show people at home and abroad just how influential and important Scott and his work were and to explain his lasting legacy both for Scotland and for the world.  It’s extremely exciting to see the new Abbotsford Visitor Centre taking shape and we’re confident that it will help us to attract more people to the Scottish Borders to see the beautiful home and countryside that Scott loved so much.”

The new Abbotsford Visitor Centre is scheduled to open in early Summer 2012.  The main house is currently closed to the public to allow an extensive programme of restoration and refurbishment.  It will re-open 2013.