Coldstream History

The name Coldstream is probably best known for the Coldstream Guards, the oldest serving regiment in the British Army. Oliver Cromwell was impressed by the military skills of Colonel George Monck and decided he should have control of his own regiment, so in August 1650 ‘Monck’s Regiment of Foot’ was formed and became part of Cromwell’s New Model Army.

However, within eight years Cromwell was dead and the Scotts, who had always had strong Royalist sympathies, were keen to restore Charles II to the throne. In December 1660 Monck gathered his troops in Coldstream and marched south to support the Stuart King - a plaque marks the spot where they gathered. The regiment still sends representatives to Coldstream’s annual Civic Week.

Scotland and England were joined in the 1707 Act of Union and with no likelihood of any further disputes; Coldstream finally got a bridge in 1766. Designed by Smeaton, it has seven arches and a span of over 300 feet and was built with the intention of joining Edinburgh and Newcastle. On the Scottish side of the bridge is the Toll House, which until 1856 was as popular as Gretna Green with English elopers.