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Kelso Abbey is a ruined Benedictine monastery founded in 1128 by David I of Scotland on the banks of the River Tweed in Roxburghshire. The surviving remains, largely dating from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, include substantial portions of the abbey church with its distinctive Romanesque architectural features, particularly evident in the west end and transepts. The monastery functioned as a major religious and landholding centre throughout the medieval period until its dissolution in the sixteenth century. The ruins, which stand within the town of Kelso, represent one of the most important examples of Romanesque ecclesiastical architecture in Scotland.
Kelso Abbey is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90177. View the official record →
Kelso Abbey is a ruined Benedictine monastery founded in 1128 by David I of Scotland on the banks of the River Tweed in Roxburghshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90177.
Kelso Abbey is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM90177.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Pinnaclehill Farm,burial mound & cists 90m NW of (0.3 km), Old Roxburgh,deserted town between River Teviot & River Tweed (1.2 km), Roxburgh Castle (1.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Kelso Abbey's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Kelso Abbey stands on Inverclyde Group, bedrock that formed in the Osagean. The rock here is sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.