Bid to place bronze arm sculpture in the Teviot receives cash boost

It's proposed that the sculpture would be placed in the river between Haughhead and the recycling centre.

Ambitious plans for a stunning 17-metre high bronze statue to be located in the middle of the Teviot river in Hawick are a step closer reality.

Hornshole Greenway Development Group aims to build on Hawick’s many historic, cultural and natural assets to attract visitors to the town.

The plan also is to fully embrace the opportunities offered by the ongoing £90m flood protection scheme to provide an attractive walking and cycling route.

Central to that aim is development of the ‘The Border Queen’, an eye-catching river sculpture which would become a magnet for visitors to the town and a local landmark.

Alluding to The Lady of the Lake, made famous by Sir Walter Scott, the proposed artwork received a boost on Tuesday, February 1, when members of the council’s Teviot and Liddesdale Area Partnership endorsed a funding bid for £2,300 to carry out an initial ground engineering survey.

Speaking at the meeting Cameron Knox, the chair of Hawick Community Council, said: “Hornshole Greenway is a multi-faceted ambitious project which will have positive economic impact for the town. Working with this is the creation of an iconic structure to be called ‘The Border Queen’ which they feel would be a significant draw for visitors to the town.”

The planned Greenway project would follow a route from Hornshole to the far end of Wilton Lodge Park, including most of the new active travel network.

The dramatic green-coloured structure, to feature an extended arm clutching a flag, is to be situated in the middle of the Teviot, between Haugh-Head and the town’s recycling centre.

A spokesperson for Hornshole Greenway said: “It draws parallels between the youths of Hawick who saved the town from certain destruction in the 16th century and the flood protection scheme that seeks to do the same today.”