Abercraig, the first house on the north of West Road, was built around 1824-25 as the dower house for the Berry family. A dower house was owned by an estate and was usually occupied by the widow of the estate owner, hence the title ‘dowager’. The widow would move into the dower house thus vacating the family house for the son and heir.
The Tayfield dower house was never used in this way but instead was occupied in the mid-1800s by Margaret and Sarah Berry, two sisters of the first William Berry. Sarah died in 1880 aged 97 and it is possibly Sarah in this photograph.
From then on the house was rented out, and was eventually sold by Tayfield in 1989.
Below are two views of Abercraig from the river.
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