THERE IS NOTHING sadder than a valiant campaign, with right on its side, that ends in victory for the forces of darkness. Last week the scaffolding went up on the fine Edwardian building, with its sandstone walls and marbled pillars, that once housed the old College of Textiles in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders. Its interior has already been destroyed, the lead has come off the roof, and all that prevents the final demolition is the presence of a bat colony, which conservationists are using in a vain attempt to postpone the evil hour.
Soon to follow is the nearby Lochcarron textile mill, the last working mill in the town, with its waterwheel and museum, along with the Burgh Yard, from where the annual Border Ridings, in time-honoured tradition, used to set out.
In its place — you guessed it — will be a Tesco superstore. I make no apologies for coming back one last time to the story of Galashiels, because every tragedy needs its epilogue, and this has one has implications for other places.
Tesco itself, as we know, is an unstoppable juggernaut, but the scandal here is the way in which the local Borders council has been complicit in allowing its own heritage to be destroyed in order to hand over a town centre to yet another sprawling superstore. Guilty as well is Historic Scotland, which failed to list the buildings — not because they are unimportant, but because it had not yet got round to doing so.
Only a small group of campaigners have succeeded in holding back the development for the best part of two years. The only concession to their case has been an agreement by Tesco that it will dismantle the façade and re-erect it somewhere else.
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These buildings were the only ones of significance left in Galashiels that connected the town to its industrial past. They could and should have been restored and put to proper use. As tourist attractions they could have boosted the image of a place that was once synonymous with the Borders weaving trade. Who wants to visit a town to see yet another shopping centre?
The only light on the horizon is that the campaigners are now so incensed by the behaviour of their council that they are putting up opposition candidates in every ward for next year’s elections. They call themselves the Borders Party. They’ve got my vote.