THIS week, Ronald Ireland keeps us afloat about the Minister’s Pool...

In 1829, the cauld which straddles the Tweed just below the mouth of the Eddleston Water (the ‘Cuddy’), was rebuilt.

It had previously been abandoned in 1726.

The new cauld created a stretch of calm water which at that time stretched almost to Neidpath.

It was called the Minister’s Pool, because it lay adjacent to the former manse of Peebles.

It is better known locally as ‘the Minnie’.

At the beginning of the 20th century rowing boats for hire were introduced.

There were as many as eight clinker built rowing boats available, so that taking to the water of the Minnie for a leisurely sail must have been a popular pastime.

That continued until a flood in 1948 severely damaged the cauld, with the result that the water level in the Minnie was considerably reduced and boating was no longer feasible. In recent years an attempt was made to re-introduce rowing boats for hire, but due to the now unreliable depth of water and also vandalism, this proved to be unviable.

Not only was the pool used for pleasure boating, but some time before the First World War, the local firm of L Grandison & Son was granted a lease from Wemyss & March Estates, to extract material from sand and gravel beds near Neidpath.

A special barge was built to carry the material extracted downstream to dock at the mouth of the Cuddy. Rumour had it that on more than one occasion, the cargo included a salmon as well as sand and gravel! The barge was last used in 1939 and, during the Second World War which followed, it was badly damaged by a flood and never replaced.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable craft ever to take to the waters of the Tweed, was a boat driven by an aeroplane-type propeller.

It was built by George Mathieson, a Peebles resident, who was a joiner to trade.

By all accounts he was a man of many skills as well as having an inventive mind as the design of the boat clearly shows.

The boat was launched on the Minnie around 1935/6.

It had a propeller mounted at the bow of the boat driven by a petrol engine.

Normally air-driven water craft have a propeller at the stern.

Mr Mathieson’s design must have resulted in a somewhat wind-swept journey for passengers and the caps which the two occupants of the boat are seen wearing would be unlikely to remain on their heads.