[1] It is the traditional name for the dale (the area drained) by the upper reaches of the River Tweed.

[4] Tweeddale was a historic district or province in the Middle Ages, bordering Teviotdale and the Marches to the east, Liddesdale and Annandale to the south, Clydesdale to the west and Lothian to the north.

The southern part of Tweeddale became the sheriffdom of Selkirkshire, also known as Ettrick Forest, whilst the northern part of Tweeddale was initially divided into two sheriffdoms, based at Peebles and Traquair, before those two were united as the single shire of Peebles, or Peeblesshire, around 1304.

The building had originally been built in 1856 as a workhouse, but had been extensively rebuilt and extended in 1935 to become the headquarters of Peeblesshire County Council.

[13][14] After the 1996 reforms the building became an area office for Scottish Borders Council and a police station.