St Abbs & St Abb's Head

The cliffs of St Abb's Head are internationally important for seabirds, and the National Nature Reserve attracts walkers along a coastline shaped by hard volcanic rock and constant erosion. Below the surface, the St Abbs and Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve protects reef communities and striking underwater topography. The area has become nationally important for scuba diving as well as wildlife and coastal tourism. The village keeps that marine relationship human. Harbour, lifeboat, fishing history and the people who know this coast belong beside the conservation story. St Abbs has maintained its own independent lifeboat service since the community campaign that followed the closure of the former RNLI station. It gives the Collection a coast that is neither simply scenic nor purely natural. People work beside it, walk above it, dive into it and continue to organise around the risks of living beside the North Sea.