Hopes high of new role for historic hostelry

A historic hostelry in the Scottish Borders could be given a new role thanks to the local community.

The Templehall Hotel in Morebattle near Kelso has been around for more than 250 years.

However, the site - located in a village of just over 300 people on the St Cuthbert's Way walking route - has been for sale since 2022.

Now residents who took over the village shop when it shut five years ago have set up a community benefit society to try to buy and manage the site as a "hub".

The property is on the market for £295,000, but so far more than 170 people have signed up for shares in the society - which start at £25 - pledging a total of more than £50,000.

Representatives are now set to meet with the Scottish Land Fund, the public body which helps communities buy assets, to seek a grant of more than £200,000 to bring the move closer to reality.

Chairman Roddy Murray said that at a "very difficult time" for the hospitality industry, a community venture could be the answer.

"There was a danger that had we not done this, we could lose it, with the pub closing for good or being sold as a bed and breakfast, but without the pub which has been at the centre of the community for more than 250 years," he said.

Nicky Stevens is one villager who has been motivated to not only sign up but also join the steering group.

“I felt we couldn’t sit by and do nothing,” she said.

"My husband and I moved here about 10 years ago, and we stayed overnight in the pub while looking at a house we were proposing to buy, and were made really, really welcome."

She said community ownership could kickstart a whole new era for the property.

"There are so many groups in the village that would be lost without the pub, and we don’t want to see it turned into a B&B or housing."

Almost 100 people attended a recent meeting held by the community benefit society, called the Morebattle Community Hub and Public House Ltd.

Ms Stevens said they were under no illusions about the challenges ahead if they did take over the property and nothing was being ruled out in terms of the way forward.

Eric McNulty’s family are long-term Morebattle residents, and he can remember more vibrant times at the Templehall.

However, he insisted the move was not about dwelling in the past.

"It would be nice to take it back 30 years,” he said.

“But we have to be realistic about how things have changed over the years, most recently during Covid, which had a big effect around here.

"We can only be optimistic and look forward, to what we can provide now, and we have enough heads around this who believe they can make it work, and that’s the important thing."

Louisa Douglas - the society secretary - moved to Morebattle two years ago from Tokyo.

"It’s a little bit of a change of scene,” she admitted.

"I have a young family and Morebattle struck us as really welcoming and a great place to raise our kids

"The pub was a big plus point on our checklist of amenities, and it has been really important for us to be able to meet other people from different walks of life."

Mr Murray acknowledged that the project would "stand or fall" on securing public funding.

However, it has already received the thumbs up from far afield.

A group of walkers from Sitka, Alaska, who stopped at the community shop, said it had echoes of how things worked in their area.

One of them, Molly Kabler, said: "We’re from a really small community in Alaska, on an island, and OK it’s a little over 8,000 people, but this is a parallel to what we do in our community with groups supporting each other.

"It’s great to see and we’re right behind them."