Press Release
Catherine Maxwell Stuart the 21st Lady of Traquair and Lord-Lieutenant of Tweeddale has accepted the role of Patron of St Ronan’s Wells Support Group in Innerleithen.
Background:
Nestled in woodland above Innerleithen, St Ronan’s Wells is a historic Victorian spa dating back to 1826, with a long and significant heritage and beautiful community gardens. Owned by Scottish Borders Council, the building is now closed and SBC have declared it surplus to requirements.
The St Ronan’s Wells Support Group was formed in October by twelve local residents with the intention of securing its future as a valued local asset by a Community Asset Transfer and re-purposing it as a heritage community centre. A formal community asset transfer request has been lodged with the council.
We have established a charity, St Ronan’s Wells Support Group SCIO, which currently has more than 260 members. It is the governing body for the project.
We are delighted to announce that Catherine Maxwell Stuart, 21st Lady of Traquair has kindly agreed to be our Patron. This is appropriate in so many ways: her standing and involvement in the community, her role as Lord-Lieutenant of Tweeddale, her position as 21st Lady of Traquair and her family connection to St Ronan’s Wells through her ancestor, the 7th Earl of Traquair, who built the Spa building.
When he did this, he transformed Innerleithen from a quiet hamlet into a thriving summer resort, where more than 1,500 people would come each year to “take the waters.”
The chairperson of the St Ronan’s Wells Support Group commented “Catherine Maxwell Stuart’s acceptance as our Patron represents a significant vote of confidence in the group’s vision to protect one of the Scottish Borders’ most important heritage buildings.”