The John Buchan Heritage Museum
(Formerly John Buchan Museum)
Broughton, Peeblesshire.
Chair Person.
Mary Reid,
2 Crookhaugh Cottages,
Tweedsmuir.
Peblesshire. ML12 6QN.
Tel 01899 880258.
m-a-reid@tiscali.co.uk
Open Easter Weekend 2-5pm
then from May 1st to mid October every day 2-5pm
Admission Charge: Adult £2. Child 50p.
For visiting Groups contact the above or
stewartby@btconnect.com.
Mention the name John Buchan and most people will think of The Thirty-Nine Steps, just one of the hundred or so books he wrote, many of them strongly influenced by his Scottish upbringing and in particular, his time spent during childhood and adolescent holidays visiting his maternal grandparents in the village of Broughton in Peeblesshire.
To learn more about the life of John Buchan, his family and his works visit the John Buchan Museum to be found on the A701 at the southern end of the village of Broughton. The Museum is housed in the Free Church building where his father preached for a period. Not only will you find fascinating details of his life and works but also the rest of his family including his sister Anna Buchan who wrote under the name of O'Douglas, a prolific author in her own right.
John Buchan had a memorable career not only as a writer but as a barrister, a Conservative MP for the Scottish Universities, an Intelligence Officer, a newspaper correspondent, etc. until he became the fifteenth Governor General of Canada in 1935 and was created the first Baron Tweedsmuir.
Some visitors literally spend hours browsing through the artefacts and reading interesting documents relating not only to the Buchan family but also to the neighbouring countryside so beloved by John Buchan as revealed in some of his books including John Burnet of Barns, Witchwood, An Old Lady of Lost Years and part of Richard Hannay's Scottish adventure in The Thirty-Nine Steps. The latter book was published in 1915 and has never been out of print.
A stunning 22km/13 mile walk between Peebles and Broughton - The John Buchan Way - ends/starts a short distance from the Heritage Museum - details of this can be found at www.scotborders.gov.uk/pdf/18698.pdf
Left - View of John Buchan Heritage Museum in Broughton, Peeblesshire.