Sir Walter Scott's house restoration well underway

Final preparations underway for Abbotsford House grand reopening

Conservator Joanna Cook is overseeing the renovation of one of Sir Walter Scott's favourite rooms, the library.

She said:

"We are carrying out a deep-clean of the house in preparation for all the objects coming back in before the re-opening in July.

"So at the moment we are washing down the bookcases in Sir Walter Scott's library, toning in any scratches and giving them a wax.

"He spent a lot of time in here consulting his books, so this is an important room of the house"

The former home of Sir Walter Scott, who lived in the Scottish Borders, is set to re-open in July after a multi-million pound regeneration project.

Abbotsford House, based near Melrose, was home to the famous author who wrote works such as 'Rob Roy' and 'Waverley'.

The house, which sits on the banks of the River Tweed, faced a possible closure in 2004, after the last of Scott's descendants died.

However, the Abbotsford Trust managed to raise £12 million of the £14.5 million needed to fully restore the house and secure its future.

The funding has enabled major regeneration works to be carried out and the house will now be re-opened to the public on 4th July.