Jedburgh Abbey
Jedburgh Abbey is one of the great Border abbeys of Scotland, a magnificent ruin set within the pleasant market town of Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders. Founded in 1138 by King David I of Scotland as an Augustinian priory and later raised to the status of an abbey, it grew to become one of the most important religious establishments in Scotland before centuries of conflict with England reduced it to the atmospheric ruin that visitors explore today. The architecture of Jedburgh Abbey is exceptional. The church is built in the Romanesque and early Gothic styles that were at the cutting edge of ecclesiastical architecture during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and despite the damage inflicted by repeated English raids, the surviving fabric of the building is remarkably complete. The nave arcades, with their decorative Romanesque carving and the transition to pointed Gothic arches in the upper storeys, illustrate the evolution of medieval architectural style with extraordinary clarity. The west front, with its elaborate carved doorway, retains some of the finest Romanesque carving in Scotland. The location of Jedburgh on the main route between England and Scotland placed the abbey directly in the path of almost every major military conflict between the two kingdoms. English forces raided and damaged the abbey in 1297, 1305 and repeatedly during the Wars of the Roses, and further destruction came during the Reformation in 1560 when the Catholic religious community was dissolved. Despite this, the abbey remained in partial use as a parish church until 1875, and the relative continuity of occupation explains why so much fabric survives. The abbey's visitor centre contains the Pictish Jedburgh Comb and other significant archaeological finds from the site, along with displays explaining the history of the building and the Augustinian monastic community that once inhabited it. The formal garden laid out around the ruins provides a pleasant setting for exploring the surviving walls, columns and arched windows, and a heritage trail connects the abbey with other historic sites in the town including Mary Queen of Scots' House, where the Scottish queen stayed during her famous progress through the Borders in 1566. The town of Jedburgh itself is an attractive and historically rich stopping point on any tour of the Scottish Borders, with a medieval town centre, good independent shops and close proximity to several other historic sites including Dryburgh Abbey, Melrose Abbey and Floors Castle.