Berwick-Upon-Tweed

Berwick-upon-Tweed [bɛ.ɹɪk-], situated in the county of Northumberland, is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the river Tweed, situated 2.5 miles (4 km) south of the Scottish border.

In 2001 the town had a population of 11,665. The population has remained roughly constant since 1911 or so. It is the administrative centre of the borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which had a population of 25,949. Berwick town is an unparished area, the least populated one in England. The borough council has recommended the creation of the parishing of this area.

Although in that region the Tweed forms the border between England and Scotland, and the historic heart of the town of Berwick is located on the northern, Scottish, side, the modern (post-1482) boundary diverts itself around the town to keep it in England. The town proper lies on the north bank and to the north of the River Tweed, and was formerly the county town of Berwickshire in Scotland, with which it still has strong economic and retail ties. Apart from the town proper, some nearby hinterland is also included in England and was considered part of the borough, which had an area of about 25 km².

Berwick is a market town and, if it is taken to include the village of Tweedmouth on the southern bank of the Tweed (which formed part of the borough), a very modest international seaport. For a period of 300 and more years from the mid 11th century the town was an extremely important strategic asset in the wars between England and Scotland. The architecture of the town reflects its past, in particular in having one of the finest remaining defensive ramparts (of 1555, though much repaired in the late 18th century), and in the Barracks buildings, begun in 1717 and the first such buildings in Britain. Nikolaus Pevsner writes that "Berwick is one of the most exciting towns in the country, with scarcely an irritating building anywhere, and the most intricate changes of level."

Including Spittal, Tweedmouth, and Ord, the town's population in the 2001 Census was 11,665; this within a borough population of 25,949. 59.5% of the population are employed, and 3.6% unemployed. 19% are retired. Slightly more than 60% of the population is employed in the service sector, including shops, hotels and catering, financial services and most government activity, including health care. About 13% is in manufacturing; 10% in agriculture, and 8% in construction. Some current and recent Berwick economic activities include salmon fishing, shipbuilding, engineering, sawmilling, fertilizer production, and the manufacture of tweed and hosiery.

It is unique for an English town in that its football team, Berwick Rangers, plays its matches in the Scottish Football League and its Rugby Union team, Berwick RFC play in Scottish Rugby Union's BT Premiership 3; owing to the south-west to north-east direction of the border, it is located further north than several Scottish league clubs including Gretna, Queen of the South (Dumfries), Stranraer, Ayr United and Kilmarnock.

The local dialect, known as 'Berwick', is a combination of Lowland Scots and the Northumbrian accent. Available to Buy from Grieves in Berwick is the unofficial Berwick Dictionary, and many local websites include the majority of Berwick words spoken in everyday conversation around the town.

The old A1 passes through Berwick. The A1 bypass road goes around the town to the west of the Settlement.