Borders Book Festival

20th June, 2013

The Duke of Buccleuch (Duke Richard) plays a major role in the Borders Book Festival, not least because of the sponsorship of the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction. This year, he commissioned an adaptation of Walter Scott’s epic poem The Lay of the Last Minstrel, directed by local man Alan Caig Wilson. Featuring a stellar cast comprises Joanna Lumley, David Robb (Downton Abbey’s Dr Clarkson), Briony McRoberts and Michael Mackenzie, it played to a packed house at the Festival on June 15.

The original idea for this production came about during a conversation between The Duke of Buccleuch and Festival Director Alistair Moffat.  Alaistair explains, “The Duke was telling me about how brilliantly Joanna read verses of the poem at his father’s memorial service.  I said ‘Hang on, why don’t you ask her if she’ll come here?’.  Duke Richard asked the question and she said she’d be delighted!”.

If anyone would like a copy of the book, with a foreword by Duke Richard, it is available to buy from the Bowhill gift shop.

In addition, Duke Richard commissioned a large glass sculpture by Colin Reid, which now takes pride of place in the Scott Room of Bowhill House. It has been an added attraction and is well worth taking a visit to see.

Congratulations also goes to the winner of the Walter Scott Prize –  Malaysian writer author Tan Twan Eng, who won £25,000  for Historical Fiction for his second novel The Garden of Evening Mists.  He travelled from his home in South Africa to be at the ceremony, and was awarded his prize by the Duke of Buccleuch at the special event.