Kingsmeadows House

A new future as a community resource may be on the cards for Kingsmeadows House, a historic property associated with Clan Hay, situated on the outskirts of Peebles.

This Georgian house sits on the bank of the River Tweed in one of the most beautiful locations in Scotland.  Built in 1795 by Sir John Hay of Smithfield, an Edinburgh banker and Member of Parliament for Peeblesshire, the house was acquired in the 1950s by Standard Life, the banking and insurance group, who used it as a repository for documents.

It was a dreary purpose for this lovely property and when Standard Life offered it for sale in 2009, the local community expressed an immediate interest.  The insurance giant was widely criticised at the time for failing to take this approach seriously in their efforts to secure the highest possible price from a wealthy private buyer.

However, we are delighted to report that the Peebles Community Trust has launched a formal bid to acquire the house and surrounding estate for the benefit of the town, so this delightful house may yet be available for all to enjoy.