The town is at the mouth of the River Tweed on the east coast, 56 mi (90 km) south east of Edinburgh, 65 mi (105 km) north of Newcastle upon Tyne, and 345 mi (555 km) north of London. Uniquely for England, the town is slightly further north than Denmark's capital Copenhagen and the southern tip of Sweden further east of the North Sea, which Berwick borders.
Berwick was founded as an Anglo-Saxon settlement in the Kingdom of Northumbria, which was annexed by England in the 10th century.[3] A civil parish and town council were formed in 2008 comprising the communities of Berwick, Spittal and Tweedmouth.[4] It is the northernmost civil parish in England.
For more than 400 years the area was central to historic border wars between the Kingdoms of England and Scotland, and several times possession of Berwick changed hands between the two kingdoms. The last time it changed hands was when Richard of Gloucester retook it for England in 1482.[5] To this day, many Berwickers feel a close affinity to Scotland.[6] Both Berwick Rangers Football Club and Berwick Rugby Football Club play in Scottish leagues.
Berwick's name is of the same origin as the word berewick,[8] denoting a portion of farmland which was detached from a manor and reserved for a lord's own use.[9] This comes from the Old Englishberewíc, meaning "corn farm" (more specifically, bere refers to barley).[10] Its earliest recorded spelling, as Berewich, dates from 1167.[11] There are several places in Britain with the same name;[8] one such is North Berwick in Scotland, and Berwick-upon-Tweed has also been called "South Berwick" in Scottish sources.[12] The medieval seal of the town showed a bear and a wych tree as a pun on the name.[13]
Berwick is famous for its hesitation over whether it is part of Scotland or England.[65] Some people are adamant they are English and their loyalty lies with Northumberland, while others feel an affinity with Scotland.[66] Whilst it has been argued that the town's geographic and historic place between the two has led to it developing a distinctive identity of its own,[67] many people in Berwick also have mixed Anglo-Scottish families which contributes to a sense of separate identity.[68] Historian Derek Sharman said "The people of Berwick feel really independent. You are a Berwicker first, Scottish or English second."[69] Former mayor Mike Elliot said "25% of the town consider themselves English, 25% Scottish and 50% Berwickers."[70] Professor Dominic Watt of the University of Aberdeen noted that: "Older people view themselves more as Scots than the younger people in Berwick, and this can be heard in their accents."[71]
In 2008, SNPMember of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Christine Grahame made calls in the Scottish Parliament for Berwick to become part of Scotland again.[72] The Liberal Democrat MSP Jeremy Purvis, who was born and brought up in Berwick, asked for the border to be moved twenty miles south, stating: "There’s a strong feeling that Berwick should be in Scotland. Until recently, I had a gran in Berwick and another in Kelso, and they could see that there were better public services in Scotland."[73] However, Alan Beith, the former MP for Berwick, said the move would require a massive legal upheaval and is not realistic.[74] Beith's successor as MP, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, said: "Voters in Berwick-upon-Tweed do not believe it is whether they are in England or Scotland that is important."[69]
The local speech of Berwick-upon-Tweed shares many characteristics with both other rural Northumberland dialects and East Central Scots.[75][76] In 1892, linguistRichard Oliver Heslop divided the county of Northumberland into four dialect zones and placed the Berwick dialect in the "north-Northumbrian" region, an area extending from Berwick down to the River Coquet.[77] Likewise, Charles Jones (1997) classes the dialect as "predominantly North-Northumbrian" with "a few features shared with Scots".[78]
Features of this dialect include the "Northumbrian burr", a distinct pronunciation of the letter R historically common to many dialects of North East England; and predominant non-rhoticity: older speakers tend to be slightly rhotic, while younger speakers are universally non-rhotic.[79][80]
A sociological study of the Anglo-Scottish border region conducted in 2000 found that locals of Alnwick, 30 mi (50 km) south of Berwick, associated the Berwick accent with Scottish influence. Conversely, those from Eyemouth, Scotland, 9 mi (14 km) north of Berwick, firmly classed Berwick speech as English, identifying it as "Northumbrian or Geordie".[81]
Speedway has taken place in Berwick in two separate eras. The sport was introduced to Shielfield Park in May 1968. A dispute between the speedway club and the stadium owners ended the first spell. The sport returned to Shielfield Park in the mid-1990s. The lack of a venue in the town saw the team move to a rural location called Berrington Lough. The team, known as the Bandits, have raced at all levels from First Division to Conference League (first to third levels).
There is an apocryphal story that Berwick is (or recently has been) officially at war with Russia.[88] According to a story by George Hawthorne in The Guardian of 28 December 1966, the London correspondent of Pravda visited the Mayor of Berwick, Councillor Robert Knox, and the two made a mutual declaration of peace. Knox said, "Please tell the Russian people through your newspaper that they can sleep peacefully in their beds." The same story, cited to the Associated Press, appeared in The Baltimore Sun of 17 December 1966; The Washington Post of 18 December 1966; and The Christian Science Monitor of 22 December 1966. At some point, the real events seem to have been turned into a story of a "Soviet official" having signed a "peace treaty" with Mayor Knox; Knox's remark to the Pravda correspondent was preserved in this version.[88][89]
The basis for such status was the claim that Berwick had changed hands several times, was traditionally regarded as a special, separate entity, and some proclamations referred to "England, Scotland and the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed". One such was the declaration of the Crimean War against Russia in 1853, which Queen Victoria supposedly signed as "Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, Ireland, Berwick-upon-Tweed and all British Dominions". When the Treaty of Paris was signed to conclude the war, "Berwick-upon-Tweed" was left out. This meant that, supposedly, one of Britain's smallest towns was officially at war with one of the world's largest powers – and the conflict extended by the lack of a peace treaty for over a century.[89] In reality, Berwick-upon-Tweed was not mentioned in either the declaration of war or the final peace treaty and was legally part of the United Kingdom for both.
was built in the 13th century and rebuilt in the 1290s. It was in disrepair by the 17th century, and much of it was demolished in the 19th century to make way for the railway. However, substantial ruins remain just outside the town's rampart walls to the west by the river.
Berwick Castle
and Tudor ramparts are some of the country's finest remaining examples of their type.
Berwick town walls
The , 15-span sandstone arch bridge 355 m (1,164 ft) long, built in 1610–1624 for £15,000. The bridge continues to carry road traffic, but in one direction only. The bridge, part of the Great North Road from London to Edinburgh was built by order of James VI and I.
unusual for having been built during the Commonwealth of England. It was built in 1648–1652 with stone from the 13th-century castle. It was originally a plain "preaching box", with no steeple, stained glass or other decorations. Contents include a pulpit thought to have been built for John Knox during his stay in the town. The church was much altered in 1855 with many new windows and the addition of a chancel.
designed by S&J Worrell and built in 1754–1760. The building is neoclassical, and originally the town's prison was on the top floor. The tower above the council chamber has a ring of eight bells and a curfew bell. Lester and Pack of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast the tenor, third, fourth and treble bells in 1754 and the fifth and sixth bells in 1759. Charles Carr of Smethwick cast the second and curfew bells in 1894. Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast the seventh bell in 1901.[90]
Berwick Town Hall
Dewars Lane Granary, built in 1769, now restored as a hotel and art gallery.
[91]
built in 1780 as a country house, is north of the town. It is the most northern hotel in England, just 275 metres from the Scottish border at Marshall Meadows Bay.
Marshall Meadows House
5 mi (8 km) upstream, from Berwick, was built in 1821 and is the world's oldest surviving suspension bridge.[92]
Union Chain Bridge
The Kings Arms Hotel on Hide Hill was built in 1782 and rebuilt in 1845. stayed there in 1861.[93]
The in Sandgate, completed in 1858, and converted into apartments in the late 1990s.[94]
Corn Exchange
St Andrew's Church, Wallace Green was built in 1859 and is one of only eight congregations in England.
Church of Scotland
The Masonic Hall was built in 1872 for the town's St David's for £1,800. The lodge still owns the hall and is also used by other Masonic lodges and orders. It is one of few purpose-built Masonic halls in the country and is a scarce example of Victorian Masonic architecture. It has a large pipe organ built in 1895. The Hall contains many artefacts and documents concerning Freemasonry in the town, which can be traced back to 1643.
Masonic Lodge
The , built in 1925 to carry the A1 road across the Tweed. Its span is 110 m (361 ft), which at the time was the longest concrete span. The A1 now bypasses the town to the west. In the early 2000s, the bridge was renovated, the road and pavement layout revised, and new street lighting added.
Royal Tweed Bridge
runs down Back Street just off Bridge Street. Like other Berwick locations, it was painted by L. S. Lowry, who visited Berwick.[95]
Dewars Lane
There are numerous on the coastline to the north of Berwick, with lengths up to 67 metres. The caves are found in the cliffs from Green's Haven to the Scottish border at Marshall Meadows Bay.[96]
sea caves
award-winning playwright, lives in Berwick
Torben Betts
Captain and Mayor of Berwick
William Bowyer (died 1628)
footballer for Barcelona and England, born in Berwick-upon-Tweed
Lucy Bronze
author, lives in Berwick-upon-Tweed
Jessie Greengrass
first speaker of the Canadian House of Commons, born in Berwick
James Cockburn
(1756–1811), widely called the first Romantic actor in England
George Frederick Cooke
(1877–1959), writer
Anne Hepple Dickinson
(1887–1949), cricketer
Thomas Herriot
(1797–1855), naturalist.
George Johnston
the Hollywood actor, made Berwick his adopted home and died there.
Alexander Knox
(1804–1868), raised in Tweedmouth
Rev Prof Robert Lee DD
(born 1857), architect, born in Berwick-upon-Tweed
John Leonard
the author of The Railway Man, lived in Berwick-upon-Tweed
Eric Lomax
co-creator of the comic and movie character Tank Girl, lives in Berwick
Liberal Democrat MSP, and youngest person in Scottish Parliament at time of election. Since 2013 Purvis has been a life peer in the House of Lords, sitting on the Liberal Democrat benches.
Jeremy Purvis
American anti-slavery activist and journalist, born in Berwick
James Redpath
English darts player, played in the 1994 BDO World Darts Championships
Ian Sarfas
soldier and writer
Thomas Smith
England and Everton footballer, born in Berwick
Trevor Steven
prominent English Catholic archivist and Jesuit priest, born in Berwick
Joseph Stevenson
born in Berwick in 1789, doctor and naturalist
Tweedy John Todd
born in Berwick in 1725, a military general and Governor of British East Florida
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