Border Textile Tower House

Description:
Built as a Peel Tower House and home of the Douglas family, and later the home of Anne, Duchess of Monmouth, and still later the Tower Hotel, the premises now house the Border Textile Tower House.

The Borders Textile Towerhouse now showcases the past, present and future of the Borders textile industry.

Ownership:
Scottish Borders Council

Situation – OS ref: NT 503145

How to get there:
By car:
Within the town of Hawick, at the west end of Hawick High Street. Local signposting.
By public transport:
Hawick is well served by public transport from other Border towns.

The Borders Textile Tower House is open all year, except between Christmas and New Year (25th December to 2nd January)
Summer Season (April to October):
Monday - Saturday: 10am - 4.30pm
Sunday: 12pm - 3pm
Winter Season (November to March):
Monday, Wednesday - Saturday: 10am - 4.00pm
Tuesday, Sunday: Closed

Facilities:
Meeting rooms available to let.

Admission
Free.

Contact:
Tel: 01450 377615

Attached attractions:
Hawick Tourist Information Centre
Gift shop.
Steve Hislop Commemorative Exhibition

Additional info:
VisitScotland 4 star Museum
Audio Tours available
Disabled access to all floors.

Exhibitions
The Knitwear and Tweed Story. Scotland’s premier textile region
is explored in a beautifully-restored 16th Century towerhouse.
Changing exhibitions showcase contemporary fashion and design.
Displays of garments, artefacts and photographs tell the story of
over 200 years of tradition and innovation in the Borders woollen
industries. Border knitwear and tweeds have been adopted by the
whole world – come and explore the unfinished story!

The Tom Scott Room displays paintings by the noted Scottish
watercolourist (1854-1927) with touchscreen access to the
Museum’s collection of his work. The Secret Tower Room explores
the building’s often-turbulent history from its construction at the
time of the Border Reivers.
Our shop stocks a colourful range of textiles, crafts, gifts and
books.

Collectively Independent
Ground Floor
An eye-catching display of framed textiles by the final year students
on the Textile Design course at Heriot Watt University. Each piece
is original, and displays a variety of techniques, such as printing,
knitting, weaving, collage and embroidery. All works are for sale.

Mon 28 March – Sun 29 May
Fabric of Life
Ground Floor
The Borders, the Lothians and Fife all once had thriving textile
industries - from the knitwear and tweeds of the Borders and East
Lothian to the fine linen damask of Dunfermline. This touring
exhibition looks at tradition, change and survival in those industries
with objects and photographs.
An East of Scotland Museums Partnership project.

Fri 1 April – Sat 1 October
Creative Fashion Highlights
Future Gallery
A selection of the best outfits created by this year’s pupils from
Hawick High School’s award-winning Creative Fashion course.

Sat 9 April – Sat 24 September
From Hawick to Hollywood
The Women who wore Pringle
Catwalk
Luxurious, stylish, elegant are qualities that have defined Pringle
of Scotland knitwear – and the women who wore it - for 195 years.
From Hawick to Hollywood, Pringle garments found a home in
the wardrobes of stylish women. Borders Textile Towerhouse
and Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design spotlight the
film stars, and company employees, who were ambassadors of a
glamour and sophistication rooted in the knitwear heritage of the
Scottish Borders.

Mon 6 June – Sun 18 September
Knittin for the Bairn
Ground Floor
Knitting pram sets and pram covers for the bairn is a Hawick
tradition and here we display a selection of lovingly-knitted items
that adorned many a pram and baby over the last 40 years. Come
and be inspired to start knitting!

Sat 1 October – Sun 29 January 2012
Water Driven
Ground Floor
A partnership exhibition looking at the power that drove the
machinery in the hosiery and tweed mills of the Borders. Following
on from Heritage Week, this year devoted to the subject of water,
showing maps, plans and photographs of the mill lades which
brought the water from the rivers to the mills.

Mon 3 October – Sun 27 November
Living the Dream & The Pearl of Great Price
Future Gallery
Multi-media textiles plus embroidery by textile artist Jo Simpson.

Wed 5 October – February 2012
Future in Excellence
Catwalk
A series of exhibitions of design work by past and present students
in the School of Design at Heriot Watt University. Over the
past year, students have been encouraged to submit exhibition
proposals to Borders Textile Towerhouse. This is a chance to get a
taste of the variety of design that comes out of the School.

Web link:
http://www.heartofhawick.co.uk/drumlanrig/

Places to stay nearby:
Hawick

Local towns and villages:
Hawick