Sir Walter Scott Home - Melrose

Sir Walter Scott's home, Abbotsford, is located in Melrose, Scotland.  The noted author built the home in 1812 and lived there until his death in 1832.  From 1804 to 1811 Scott had been spending his summers at Ashestiel on the River Tweed, near Selkirk.  When the lease on the property ran out Scott purchased property further down the river, near Melrose.  Cartleyhole farmhouse stood on the site of what would one day be turned into Abbotsford.  With the success of his novels, including Rob Roy (1817), Ivanhoe (1820) and Quentin Durward (1823) Scott's fortunes increased.  As the money came in he purchased more land and began building onto the farmhouse.  He initially began work from 1817 to 1819, then further additions were made from 1822 to 1825.  Shortly after the last portion was completed a banking crisis arose which left him in financial ruin.  The Ballantyne printing company, of which he was a partner, failed during the crisis and left him in debt.  He was forced to spend the rest of his life writing in order to pay off his creditors.  After a successful tour of Europe in 1831 he was taken ill during the typhus erpidemic of 1832 and died here at Abbotsford on September 21.  His home was intially turned into a tourist attraction as early as 1833.  Members of his family continued to occupy the house until 2004.

 Submit photo(s) for this home.