Smailholm Village Hall

Website updated 1 October 2024

Welcome to Smailholm Village Hall website.

We hope this website will contain something of interest for residents and local visitors, for tourists and holiday makers, and for people with family or friends in the area. We aim to inform villagers and others of what's going on in Smailholm and what else is available in the area.

Whether you want to join in, are planning your wedding, researching your family history, or are part of the wider Smailholm diaspora and want to keep up with village events, we hope you will find something useful here.

Details of activities in the Hall can be found on our Forthcoming Events  and  Regular Activities pages.

You can find out village news and information on local businesses and accomodation on our Village News and Village Ventures pages.

Tom Weatherston, our local councillor, can be contacted at 01573 223647 or 07767 406122 if there is anything people need to talk about.

About Smailholm

Smailholm is a small village in the Scottish Borders. It is  situated on the B6397, a few miles from Melrose, St Boswells, Earlston and Kelso.  The village has about 40 households, with just over 100 names on the electoral roll.   Despite its modest size and sleepy ambience, the village has many activities, mainly centred around Smailholm Village Hall. There are regular activities : art class, book group, cook book group, film evenings, come along and play music group, Pilates class, Qigong class,  singing group, table tennis group, and other special events. People from the village, others areas of the Borders and visitors staying locally are all welome. The hall is available to hire for weddings, parties, concerts, plays, meetings, exhibitions, and other group activities. 

Smailholm has a particularly attractive parish church (Church of Scotland), believed to be Norman in origin though little of the original remains.  Records show that in 1171 Smailholm was a dependent of Earlston Church, and from 1408 until the Reformation (1560), it was in the possession of Dryburgh Abbey. From 1632 onwards the church was extensively rebuilt, with further alterations in 1820. The church bell, still used today, was made by Michael Burgenbuys and is inscribed "Smellum 1647."   The church has a number of interesting features, including a boarded vaulted roof, and a Laird's Loft, accessible by means of an external stair at the north west end that continues inside the building. There are stained glass windows in the east  end  of  the chancel, depicting St. Cuthbert. 

Sadly the church is de-consecrated, and has recently been privately sold.

Further information can be found at www.kelsocountrychurches.org.uk 

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