The beautiful walled gardens of Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford House near Melrose have a fantastic new interactive visitor experience, thanks, in part, to a £25,000 grant from the Fund. A 19th century Pavilion designed by Scott and used as an outdoor retreat and to grow fruit, vegetables and exotic plants has been restored, alongside its subterranean Furnace House.
The centrepiece of the restored Pavilion is a Botanical Cabinet containing a handling collection with items telling stories from the gardens. There’s audio content for all ages with contributions from Scottish actors Mark Bonnar, David Rintoul and Maggie Service as well as a Listening Bench with an audio stream scripted from Scott’s private journal that illustrates the role the gardens played in supporting his mental wellbeing.
The restored Furnace House includes an immersive soundscape and helps visitors understand how the Pavilion’s heating system worked.
It’s a unique piece of cultural heritage that the Fallago Environment Fund has been proud to support.
