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The pillared stone entrance of the Borders Textile Towerhouse, teal signage above the door and information boards in the windows either side.
Scottish Borders

Borders Textile Towerhouse

A free museum of Border knitwear and tweed in a restored 16th-century tower house in Hawick.

Welcome

Hawick has been famous for its knitwear for more than two centuries, and the Borders Textile Towerhouse tells that story in a 16th-century tower house restored as a free museum.

The galleries are full of the tools of the trade and what it made: spinning wheels, looms and winding machines, and garments of Border tweed and knitwear, with changing exhibitions on fashion, design and craft. In the tower's original barrel-vaulted room, the story goes back to the turbulent days of the Border reivers, and the Tom Scott Room shows watercolours by the Borders artist Tom Scott.

The museum has a lift to every floor and is open from Monday to Saturday for most of the year, with shorter weeks in winter. It sits in the middle of Hawick, and Hawick Museum is in the town too.

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Before you go

April to October, Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm; in winter the same hours but closed on Tuesdays and Sundays.

Free.

Where
1 Tower Knowe, Hawick, TD9 9EN.
Admission
Free.
Building
A 16th-century tower house.

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Did you know

An antique spinning wheel stands in a museum display, other textile tools and a glass bottle arranged on shelves behind it and an information card in front.
Did you know

A reivers' tower.

The museum's barrel-vaulted room belongs to the original tower, which dates from the time of the Border reivers.

A tweed coat on a mannequin stands beside a mirror in a museum textile display, a long woven sample strip in a glass case and fabric swatch boards behind.
Did you know

Tom Scott's watercolours.

The Tom Scott Room shows watercolours by the Borders artist Tom Scott, who lived from 1854 to 1927.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to The Borders

Borders knitwear and tweed are lauded not just across Scotland but internationally, and this cleverly curated attraction showcases some two centuries of local design work through fashion items, films, photos and more. Meanwhile, the stone-clad tower that houses the exhibition is a point of interest in itself – its 500-year history makes it the oldest building in Hawick.

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Where it is

At 1 Tower Knowe in the middle of Hawick, TD9 9EN.

Close byHawick.
  1. Borders DistilleryBorders DistilleryThe first Scotch whisky distillery in the Borders since 1837, in Hawick's old electrical works, with tours led by the distillers.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Children walk past a war memorial in front of a stone mansionHawick MuseumHawick's museum in the park.Under a mile as the crow flies
  3. The River Teviot running through Wilton Lodge Park in Hawick, still and blue between banks of trees turning yellow and gold in autumn.Wilton Lodge ParkThe largest formal park in the Borders, on the River Teviot in Hawick, and the only park in the region with a Green Flag.Under a mile as the crow flies
  4. Hawico Visitor Centre & Factory ShopHawico Visitor Centre & Factory ShopThe Hawick visitor centre and outlet shop of Hawico, makers of Scottish cashmere since 1874, with knitwear, scarves and accessories.Under a mile 4 min by road
  5. Stone tower and archway of Hermitage Castle set among open hillsHermitage CastleA grim castle to the south.16 miles 22 min by road
  6. The Milnholm Cross, a tall stone cross inside iron railings in a roadside field, green hills behind.Milnholm CrossA medieval cross in Liddesdale.21 miles 31 min by road
Directions
The Haining across its loch on a bright day, the Georgian house and an arcaded range beside it mirrored in the still water among tall trees.AttractionsThe Haining8.7 miles
The Waterwheel Cafe's covered timber veranda at Philiphaugh, with folding tables and chairs along the deck and the cafe's glazed doors on the right.CafeThe Waterwheel Cafe8.9 miles
Sir Walter Scott's Courtroom on Selkirk's Market Place on a sunny day: the old town hall with its clock tower and tall spire, and Scott's statue on a plinth in front.AttractionsSir Walter Scott's Courtroom8.9 miles
The red and cream shopfront of Cameron's on Selkirk's High Street, its sign reading Camerons Oven Fresh Bakery, with Selkirk's Home Bakery painted on the window.CafeCameron's Bakery9.0 miles
Stone tower overlooking patchwork farmland and a winding river valleyAttractionsFatlips Castle9.0 miles
The Capon Tree in winter, a broad bare oak on wooden props in a green field, with its fingerpost sign in front under a blue sky.AttractionsThe Capon Tree9.6 miles
The deep green shopfront of Heron & Willow on the Canongate in Jedburgh, its two windows filled with books under painted willow leaves.ShoppingHeron & Willow9.9 miles
Motorcycle parked outside Three Hills Coffee Co, with a red Coffee Roastery doorCafeThree Hills Coffee11 miles
A power loom weaves dark tartan cloth on its bed, mechanical arms and bobbins visible above the woven fabric in a mill workshop.ShoppingLochcarron of Scotland12 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the museum, and when each is next free.

A grey stone farmhouse with several chimneys stands against rolling hills, a wildflower meadow in the foreground.The Scullery
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Yarrow
  • 12 miles from the Borders Textile Towerhouse
Free 13–15 NovThe House in the Hill at dusk, its turf roof over walls of local stone and glass, a bedroom lit inside and the hot tub at the corner.The House in the Hill
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Jedburgh
  • 15 miles from the Borders Textile Towerhouse
Free 22–24 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in the Scottish BordersAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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