Saturday September 26th 2026
Old Jedburgh Fire Station
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Plans have been rubber-stamped to convert Jedburgh’s original fire station into a home away from home.
The town’s first fire brigade location sat on the site of an historic water well called Bow Well, now Abbey Close.
The station served the area from 1924 until 1938 when the fire service moved to a newer location at Pleasance.
Now Scottish Borders Council has granted planning approval for the Abbey Close site to be converted into a one-bedroom holiday let.
The aim is to secure the long-term viable use of a redundant historic building through sensitive adaptation, while retaining its architectural character and contribution to Jedburgh Conservation Area.
The scheme adopts a conservation-led approach, recognising the building as a modest structure that has evolved over time through successive phases of adaptation.
The proposal continues this process through limited and carefully considered intervention, designed to retain the building’s simple utilitarian character and ensure its ongoing use.
In his report approving the application SBC assistant planning officer Euan Calvert states: “This change to residential use is considered supportable in that it will not displace office or commercial activity and residential use would be compatible with the character of the area, which is predominantly residential.”
A report with the application stated: “The design has been developed from an understanding that the significance of the building lies not only in its surviving historic fabric but also in its continuing evolution.
“The former fire station represents a later phase in the history of the site, and this proposal seeks to continue that process through careful adaptation rather than wholesale change.
“The proposal represents the sensitive adaptation of a modest but historically significant former fire station that forms part of the wider curtilage of the Category B listed building at 30 Castlegate.
“The scheme has been guided throughout by principles of minimum intervention, repair before replacement and respect for the existing building. New work has been deliberately limited to that necessary to secure a viable future use whilst preserving the building’s architectural character and historic significance.
“By retaining the defining features of the former fire station, introducing only carefully considered contemporary interventions and respecting the simple utilitarian nature of the building, the proposal enables the building to continue evolving as part of Jedburgh’s historic townscape.”
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