Townapedia
River Tweed at Coldstream
River Tweed at Coldstream · Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0
Newcastle Arms 2024, 50 High Street, Coldstream
Newcastle Arms 2024, 50 High Street, Coldstream · Victuallers, CC BY-SA 4.0
37 High Street, Coldstream
37 High Street, Coldstream · Victuallers, CC BY-SA 4.0
39 High Street, Coldstream
39 High Street, Coldstream · Victuallers, CC BY-SA 4.0
31 High Street, Coldstream
31 High Street, Coldstream · Victuallers, CC BY-SA 4.0
35 High Street, Coldstream
35 High Street, Coldstream · Victuallers, CC BY-SA 4.0

Coldstream, United Kingdom

Coldstream is a town of 1,870 people in Scotland, United Kingdom.

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Population1,870 GeoNames
RegionScotland
Elevation89 ft 27 m
Time zoneEurope/London
Nearest airportEdinburgh Airport (EDI) 48 mi
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Why visit Coldstream

Townapedia lists 11 museums and landmarks, 5 parks and trails, 9 places to eat, 1 place to stay and 3 attractions in and around town.

Highlights include Coldstream Bridge, Coldstream Museum and Cornhill-on-Tweed War Memorial.

About Coldstream

Coldstream (Scottish Gaelic: An Sruthan Fuar) is a historic town, former burgh 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. In 2022, the town had a population of 2,080.

From the Wikipedia article Coldstream (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photos of Coldstream

Things to do3

Coldstream Bridge

Bridge · 0.5 mi

Bridge on the England-Scotland border

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Kippie Hill

Scenic view · 1.4 mi

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Lamb Knowe

Scenic view · 1.2 mi

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Museums and landmarks11

Coldstream Museum

Museum

12 Market Square, Coldstream

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Cornhill-on-Tweed War Memorial

Monument and historic site · 1.0 mi

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Flodden Memorial

Monument and historic site

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Home Memorial

Monument and historic site

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Lennel Church

Monument and historic site · 1.3 mi

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Marjoribanks Monument

Monument and historic site

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Wark Castle

Monument and historic site · 1.3 mi

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Coldstream Guards War Memorial

Monument and historic site

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Cornhill Castle (site of)

Monument and historic site · 0.9 mi

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War Memorial

Monument and historic site

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Parks, trails and playgrounds5

Henderson Park

Park

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Hirsel Golf Club

Golf course · 0.6 mi

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Home Park

Park

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Hope Park

Park

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Laughing Ducks Soft Play

Playground

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Restaurants and cafes9

Collingwood Arms

Bar and pub · 1.0 mi

Main Street, Cornhill-on-Tweed

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Newcastle Arms

Bar and pub

50 High Street

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Besom Inn

Bar and pub

75 High Street, Coldstream

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Coldstream Spice

Restaurant · Indian

30 - 32 High Street, Coldstream

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Castle Hotel

Bar and pub

11 High Street, Coldstream

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Sanderson's Bakery

Bakery

52 High Street, Coldstream

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Hirsel Tea Room

Cafe · 0.9 mi

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The Mad Hatters Tearoom

Cafe

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Coldstream Chippy

Fast food · Fish And Chips

46 High Street, Coldstream

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History

Coldstream is the location where Edward I of England invaded Scotland in 1296. 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 1650 General George Monck founded the Coldstream Guards regiment (one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army). It is one of two regiments of the Household Division that can trace its lineage to the New Model Army. Monck led the regiment to London, helping to enable the Restoration of King Charles II.

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). A monument to Charles Marjoribanks (1794–1833), 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 (1903–95), who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1963 to October 1964, is buried in the churchyard of the ruined Lennel parish church, just outside the village.

Notable buildings in the town include the marriage house, where weddings were conducted, The Hirsel, which is the family seat of the Earls of Home, and Coldstream Town Hall, which is used as a library and registration office.

Read more of the history

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.

The Priory of St Mary was founded before 1166 by Gospatric III, Earl of Lothian. Never wealthy or powerful, the monastery nevertheless occurs frequently in the history of the border lands, being targeted several times by English forces. The monastery is the only one from the period where any charters survive thanks to the good sense of the prioress, having them copied. The house was used by both the English and Scots to gather information on each other, thanks to its location, the prioress treading a tightrope to ensure the survival of the monastery. It became a favourite of Margaret Tudor, wife of James IV, Margaret using it several times during the troubled times of the Regency.

After the Battle of Flodden, the prioress had all the bodies of the Scottish casualties (apart from James IV's, which was taken to England) brought to the monastery for burial - an event commemorated annually even today, by a procession & service, involving cutting a sod of grass from the battle field and it being carried back to Coldstream; since the priory is completely lost today, the sod is symbolically 'buried' on the Tweed Green. The last prioress signed away her community and it ceased to exist as a legal entity in 1621, although no new novices had been permitted since the 1560 Reform Parliament. No reliable record of the number of nuns living in the house have survived. Isabella Hoppringle (1460–1538) was the prioress of Coldstream from 1505 until her death. She was succeeded by her relative, Janet Pringle, the last 'real' prioress of the house.

In February 2020, the Scottish Borders Council announced plans to build a museum at the family home of Vice-Admiral Bertram Home Ramsay, who masterminded Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of Dunkirk. "A former garden store will be converted at Bughtrig House in Coldstream to create the museum in his honour," BBC News reported.

From the History section of Coldstream on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Notable people from Coldstream

Born in Coldstream, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.

Where to stay1

Churches and places of worship3

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Shopping1

Gas and EV charging1

Schools, colleges and libraries3

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Healthcare2

Map of Coldstream

39 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

Edinburgh Airport (EDI) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 48 miles away.

  • Kelso 8 mi southwest, about 13 min by car
  • Duns 9 mi northwest, about 15 min by car
  • Allanton 9 mi north, about 15 min by car
  • Wooler 12 mi southeast, about 19 min by car
  • Berwick-Upon-Tweed 13 mi northeast, about 20 min by car
  • Eyemouth 16 mi northeast, about 27 min by car
  • Saint Boswells 16 mi west, about 26 min by car
  • Earlston 16 mi west, about 27 min by car
  • Jedburgh 17 mi southwest, about 27 min by car
  • Belford 17 mi east, about 27 min by car

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

Towns near Coldstream

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Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.