Newtown St. Boswells (Scottish Gaelic: Baile Ùr Chille Bhoisil) is a village on the Bowden Burn, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, and the administrative centre of the Scottish Borders Council. It is part of a ribbon of settlements running between the A7 and A68 roads, which also includes Galashiels, Melrose, and St Boswells.
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Despite its name sounding like a 1950s overspill development, Newtown St. Boswells is actually a very old settlement, being well-established by the 16th century. The town has been known at various times as Newtoune, Newtown of Eildon, Neuton and Newtown of Dryburgh.
Historically, Newtown St Boswells was a centre for milling grain, with watermills on its burns). It became a regional centre of communication and an exporter of livestock after the opening of its railway station. This importance has declined since the closure of the station in 1969.
A large auction mart has the main presence of the centre of the town although this could soon change. A new site, on the other side of the bypass has been earmarked for a new multi-million pound mart and visitor centre creating one of the biggest auction-marts in Scotland. This move would make way for a sizeable residential development on the former site, and it would be part of the controversial 900 house expansion of Newtown to serve as a commuter town for the Waverley Railway. Upon completion, it will terminate in nearby Tweedbank which will connect the Central Borders to Edinburgh.