The Royal Burgh of Lauder is a town in the Scottish Borders in the historic county of Berwickshire. On the Southern Upland Way, the burgh lies 27 miles south east from Edinburgh, on the western side of the Lammermuir Hills. The present population of the town is around 1500, although it is swiftly increasing as over 100 brand-new homes are being constructed on the southern side. This means that, at the start of the 21st century, the population is approaching what it was at the beginning of the 20th century before the phase of depopulation over the last 100 years. Lauder is today firmly affected by its distance to Edinburgh as it is now thought to be near enough for people to commute into the capital for work. The bus service to Edinburgh is efficient though irregular. Significant buildings in the town today include the Tolbooth or Town Hall, which predates 1598 when records show it being burnt by a party of Homes and Cranstouns led by Lord Home, in a row in between them and the Lauder family who were at the time sitting on the bench as hereditary baillies. On 18 July 1793, during an extreme and long-lasting thunderstorm, a 'ball of fire struck the steeple above the Tollbooth, and did considerable damage'. Current controversy in Lauder is the town's development, whether it is required or beneficial, the location of a brand-new primary school and how quickly one will be built, and the area and amount of wind farms on the surrounding hills. Also on the agenda is the argument surrounding the formation of a new health centre in the burgh. For all of your home refurbishments, make sure to find trustworthy contractors in Lauder to make certain of quality.