TWEEDSMUIR PARISH HISTORY.
Crook Inn Art Deco Features.
The Crook Inn is listed by Heritage Environment Scotland as Category C. No LB49036. This listing is because of the many Art Deco features - see image of Crook above of 1938. The Art Deco features were installed in 1935.
The obvious principle Art Deco features are the curved glass windows and canopy at the entrance of the imposing "Road House" design of the period.
However one of the most striking features in the building is the amazing Art Deco tiling in the bathrooms both upstairs and down. The upstairs Ladies bathroom included an Art Deco weighing machine. Another upstairs Art Deco feature is the access door to the sitting out area above the entrance area - this has a distinctive semi-circular canopy. The sitting out area itself has a curved perimeter complimenting the windows below. There are many smaller Art Deco features throughout the building including the curved bannister on the stairs, the pseudo skylight lighting feature on the top landing etc. Other items such as the Art Deco wall lights that would appear to have disappeared during a change of ownership in more recent years.
Image on left shows a section of what could be a nice polished stone floor in the entrance area with an Art Deco design. However most of the floor in the entrance area/lounge is covered with a red tartan carpet that is similar to a Red Fraser. Gate to garden can be seen through the left window. One of the oval flower beds can be seen through the Art Deco design doorway.
The Art Deco theme is continued with the garden on the opposite side of the road. The garden is accessed via a white painted iron gateway shown on the right. The garden has the distinctive stright line pathways meeting at an oblong water feature in the centre of the garden. The two floorbeds, seen in the image at the head of this page, have disappeared. However the topiary bushes - now grown out of shape -remain. The garden gave access to the River Tweed.
The water feature in the centre of the garden now boasts - 2012 - the St Kentigern/St Mungo Stone. For more about the stone see item 3 on page Standing Stone Features in the Early Peoples section.
The stone may seem out of place in an Art Deco garden but it is relevant as both Merlin and Kentigern/St Mungo both passed this way.
The Art Deco connection between the building and the garden is continued by the two oval flowerbeds in front of the building.
A visitor to the hotel in 1938 wrote on a postcard - the one that heads this page - in which she said "This is a marvelous Hotel. I wish you could see the bed & bathrooms!" (Ed, I wonder what an Art Deco bed looks like - round or square?) The visitor also mentioned that she "was writing the postcard in the garden followed by a walk by the river," (Ed. it does sound idyllic - WWII was still a year away.)