Glen - Part Two
Part two of my story of Glen starts where we left off - Loch Eddy. This is an idyllic spot, a beautiful loch in an unusually steep sided ravine, with private boathouse and pine clad shores. It is not a natural lake, a well hidden dam has created this relatively shallow loch (it is 27 feet deep near the dam but tapers significantly towards the rear). According to geologists there was a lake here tens of thousands of years ago in the area known as Glenshiel Banks, however if left to nature today this ravine would only contain the southern stream which soon joins with a northern counterpart to form the Quair Water - the beautiful loch was the work of Sir Charles. Another element of his move to make Glen the idyllic country estate, the dam was built sometime in the mid to late 1800’s and the Loch was initially unnamed. We know this to be true because the Innerleithen Alpine Club visited on the 18th of June 1889 and documented the newly dammed and unnamed Loch. Sir Charles, by this time a sprightly 66 years old, guided the group to his Loch where club President Robert Mathison, in courtly style, told all assembled about the antique geology which had formed these valleys. Some of you may at this point be thinking Innerleithen Alpine what!?! This group will be a subject of a future blog, but suffice to say it was a collection of Victorian men and women who would go on excursions to local spots and share knowledge of history, geology, botany and other subjects of interest. I’d like to think had I been around in the 1880’s I would have been a member, and I try, in a much less learned style, to pass on the same sort of fascination in your surroundings that they showed then to readers now in the 21st century through these blogs.
Back to the Loch, we know it today as Loch Eddy. The Loch was named for Edward Wyndham Tennant, Sir Charles grandson and son of Edward Tennant - the first Lord Glenconner. Young Edward was killed at the battle of The Somme, aged 19 years. More than a million people, mainly young men, were killed during that offensive and while not all have a beautiful Loch named in their honour, they are all noted on War Memorials across the country. Take a trip to Traquair’s simple war memorial today and you will see the Hon. Edward Tennant listed along with other names familiar to the district - Scott, Constable and Dalgleish among them. There is also a memorial plaque to young Eddy at Salisbury Cathedral, showing the national reach of the Glenconner dynasty by this time.
Traquair War Memorial
The Loch today is fished for trout both by anglers and, the last time I visited, cormorants some distance inland from their traditional coastal hunting grounds. A rough track leads from the Loch towards Far Shepherds cottage and even rougher ‘tracks’ shot out towards the extremities of the Estate. Moorland and bogs are the order of the day here, whether you head towards the hills of Stake Law and Dun Rig, or towards Blackhouse Forest and, eventually, St Mary’s Loch. Big days can be had taking either of these options but it’s tough going - you have been warned!
Glen has had many film and commercial productions shot on the grounds over the years. The estate has the benefit of ticking all the Scottish Highlands boxes with heather clad hills, Loch and castle but only being an hour from Edinburgh. Most notable was David MacKenzie’s 2007 indie film ‘Hallam Foe’ starring a post ‘Billie Elliot’ Jamie Bell, Ciarán Hinds and Claire Forlani. Glen House doubles as the family home and pivotal scenes were set and shot at Loch Eddy. My verdict on the film is slightly neutral, it was ok, but worth seeking out to see Peeblesshire (and Edinburgh) on film.
Glen has also appeared in literature, or a thinly disguised version of it at any rate. John Buchan, a thriller writer whose books are well worth a read, wrote a series of novels with Richard Hannay as the protagonist. Most famous among them is of course The 39 Steps (also the name given to the first downhill mountain bike track in Innerleithen as regular readers may recall!) The last novel in this series was ‘The Island of Sheep’ published in 1936, and the fictional estate of Laverlaw is, in my view, completely based on Glen. The location and description tie in and Buchan, or Baron Tweedsmuir was of course in love with the Peeblesshire landscape of his ancestors. I cannot however confirm this was Buchan’s intent to make Laverlaw a Glen double so you just have to take that one as my opinion! As for the book, I recommend it a bit stronger than I would Hallam Foe - it has all of Buchan’s usual intrigue, car chases, descriptive landscapes and ludicrous coincidence.
So we have had Film and literature at Glen - what about music? The good people of Innerleithen were surprised in the early 1970’s when out shopping for their papers and milk at The Co-op to be greeted by the sight of long haired hippies. It turns out they were members of Edinburgh Folk/Psychedelic group ‘The Incredible String Band’ (ISB). Fronted by Mike Heron they had played at Woodstock and to this day have a dedicated following. ISB lived seemingly communally on Glen Row cottages and were a source of fascination to locals (Glen has a really off-beat reputation, I reckon much of it dating back to ISB). Mike Heron later released and album ‘The Glen Row Tapes’, recorded in the titular cottages which Mike continued to make his home for some time following the demise of the band in 1974. Featuring on that recording is one Frank Usher who lives in Glen Row to this day, making his living as a master craftsman of guitars. Frank is a sublime lead guitarist who plays in various local groups as well as having toured internationally. We are lucky to have Frank around here and if there is a bill with his name on it you can guarantee great music. A quirky reminder of ISB’s place in this community can be found in one of the panels of Traquair villages fantastic illuminated Phone Box which you can see lit up between 5pm and 10pm every day - well worth a look! Music at Glen is not limited to famous bands, folk musicians still meet to play - during Covid lockdown outdoor sessions around the former swimming pool (now, alas, a thistle shaped pond!) brought the scattered community together and filled the valley with both traditional song and laughter.
The phone box at Traqauir, adopted by the community and decorated by local artist Moy MacKay. The Incredible String Band panel is on the side facing the road.
Glen today is a place around 70 people call home, an idyllic location which seems a world apart from the chaos of 21st century life. I said at the start of part one that I was likely to over romanticise and to be honest I have. Glen is not immune to the real world and the fact that the house and estate remain in good health today is down to hard work and dedication over the past thirty or so years. The third Lord Glenconner (Colin Tennant - Mustique etc) was profligate and not suited, or perhaps interested, in running the Estate. So, for what it’s worth, I would like to dedicate this blog to Tessa Tennant, who ran the estate and diversified both the landscape and the income it could generate, including hosting weddings (a notable one in May 2003 - you know who you are!), holidays for the rich and famous, fashion shoots, art exhibitions and more. Tessa separated from Henry Tennant when he recognised he was gay but they remained close and she looked after him while he died of AIDS in 1990 and then looked after the estate until her own death. According to her obituary the estate was, at times, a burden she could have done without but she was tenacious in ensuring it’s future and her son Euan now ensures Tennants still run Glen, 170 years on. She died in 2018, at Glen, soon after receiving her OBE from The Queen in honour of her work in sustainable investment. RIP Tessa.
A final word! I hope these blogs have encouraged you to visit Glen - please do. The estate has a long tradition of welcoming visitors dating back to Sir Charles hosting the Alpine Club in the 1880’s. If you do however, please show respect for this small community - park no further than the Lodge house (ideally don’t take the car at all!), stay away from the main house and cottages and leave no trace of your visit, other than the odd muddy footprint or tyre mark. Thank you.
