John
Buchan Society
JOHN BUCHAN CENTRE BROUGHTON,
PEEBLESSHIRE.
Set
in the Beautiful Border Countryside of Upper Tweeddale which he knew, and loved
so well, the John Buchan Centre told the story of John Buchan, first Lord Tweedsmuir, one of Scotland's most distinguished sons.
John
Buchan's links with Broughton went back to his earliest childhood. In 1851 his
maternal grandfather John Masterton became the tenant
of the farmhouse of Broughton Green, which opened onto the village street,
still in the possession of the Buchan family. At the age of seventeen Helen Masterton married the Reverend John Buchan while he was in
charge of Broughton Free Church when the regular minister was abroad. After their
wedding at The Green the young couple left for Perth where Mr Buchan had been
called to the Knox Church, and there in 1875 their son John was born. Then
followed an astonishing and illustrious career as an author, publisher,
soldier, diplomat, Minister of Information, Member of Parliament for the
Scottish Universities, and finally, as Lord Tweedsmuir,
Governor-General of Canada. He died in office in Canada of a cerebral stroke in
1940.
The
former church building at the south end of Broughton village, where his
relatives regularly worshipped and where he himself often attended services,
was, until recently, the John Buchan Centre and housed a display of photographs
and books illustrating John Buchan's career and achievements. In the display
are some of his own and his family's belongings, and
other memorabilia. Also featured is the work of his sister Anna, who wrote very
popular light novels under the pen-name 'O. Douglas'.
All
those who are interested in John Buchan, whether they are fans of long-standing
or are meeting him for the first time, have enjoyed a visit to the John Buchan
Centre.
THE MUSEUM IS NOW PLANNING TO
MOVE TO NEW PREMISES IN PEEBLES in 2012
A
provisional opening date of late August 2012 is planned, with much work to be
done on fitting out the new Museum, to be entitled ‘The John Buchan Story’
Read about plans to relocate and fund the Museum on the new John Buchan Story website.
So the museum at Broughton is now closed, so that all the artefacts can be catalogues, stored and moved.
Further updates will appear on this website as the plan for the new Museum progresses. In the meantime, if you have any queries, please contact Ian Buckingham or Glennis McClemont.
CONTACTS
|
Chairperson. Peebles Scottish Borders |
Secretary |
This website is © The John Buchan
Society 2006. Permission must be asked before using any material from this
site, but no fee will be charged.
