Dryburgh Abbey: guidebooks

IMG_2757
Dryburgh Abbey © David Gill

Dryburgh Abbey was placed in State Guardianship in 1919. It had been founded by the Premonstratensians from Alnwick in Northumberland in 1150. The first guidebook was published in 1937: the description by J.S. Richardson, and the history by Marguerite Wood. This was a pairing also found in the guidebooks for Melrose Abbey and Edinburgh Castle. A second edition appeared in 1948.

Dryburgh_green_sm
2nd ed. 1948 (3rd impress. 1952)

The guidebook contained a reconstruction by Alan Sorrell. A foldout plan was placed inside the back cover.

Dryburgh_MPBW_Blue
1937 (2nd ed. 1948; 7th impress. 1967)

The Richardson-Wood guidebook (‘official guide’) continued into the 1970s (9th impression, 1973).

Dryburgh_blue
Second edition 1948 (9th impression 1973)

An official guide to the Scottish Border Abbeys was published in 1964. It includes a small plan along with the Sorrell reconstruction.

border_abbeys
1964 (1973)

The Historic Scotland ‘Official Souvenir Guide’ is based on the 1937 Richardson-Wood guide, revised in 1996, and then revised again in 2012. It is in full colour with a tour followed by a history.

Dryburgh_HS
2012

Author: David Gill

David Gill is Honorary Professor in the Centre for Heritage at the University of Kent, and Honorary Research Fellow in the School of History and an Academic Associate in SISJAC at UEA; Professor of Archaeological Heritage.

3 thoughts on “Dryburgh Abbey: guidebooks”

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.