A Lasting Legacy: Jill Bristow and the beginnings of Unique Cottages

As we begin another year at Unique Cottages, it feels like the right moment to reflect on and recognise the woman whose diligence, determination, and devotion to Scotland helped shape not only Unique Cottages but the wider self-catering sector in Scotland as well.

When we think about self-catering today, we picture cosy cottages, modern comforts and an effortless booking experience. But when Jill Bristow founded what would become Unique Cottages, there was a lot of work to be done.

Despite growing up in Sussex, Jill’s career in tourism has long Scottish roots. For 16 years, starting in her early twenties, she worked as a guide for a European coach tours company based in Glasgow. Travelling Europe in the 1950s and 1960s, Jill saw post-WWII ruin and experienced the continent untouched by mass tourism. Those years taught her what guests truly wanted from a holiday, gained knowledge only learnt through firsthand experience and came to realise Scotland was the place she wanted to do it all from.

The Scottish Borders then became her home when she left the coach touring company in the 1960s. Jill had friends who loved visiting her in the Borders, and when she saw rural cottages sitting empty and neglected, she noticed potential, not just for a business idea, but a chance to extend her love for Scotland through a stay in a cosy home of one's own, surrounded by extraordinary scenery.

The Beginning

During her time between travelling with the coach company, Jill was renting and renovating a cottage in Morebattle in the Scottish Borders. Once she left her job as a tour guide, Jill then began to renovate and let two other cottages in the Borders before offering her entrepreneurial talents to many nearby estates, eventually acquiring a disused stone cottage near Hermitage Castle on the Buccleuch Estate, which she cleaned, decorated, furnished from scratch and then let as a holiday cottage.

Starting out was no easy feat. There was little heating, no modern appliances and certainly no quick online ordering of anything you’d forgotten. Managing cottages before mains water, deliveries, mobile phones and having limited public telephones was unbelievably challenging, especially when trying to get in touch with owners, guests and workmen, especially those who lived in extremely rural parts of Scotland, which often seemed inaccessible without a car.

Obtaining a property on the Buccleuch Estate was key in the growth of its business and eventually amounted to a great 46 cottages. Jill expressed great admiration for the Duke (John) of Buccleuch, and their relationship was clearly one of mutual respect, as he once wrote to her regarding her hard work: “It seems quite clear that Hercules had a fairly easy time of it.” Indeed, Jill drove over 40,000 miles a year to travel to the cottages she managed and cleaned. Her little red mini, which doubled as a van, was often packed to the roof with blankets, lamps and at one point an oven.

After a challenging first six months working alone, Jill found a lady to help with the cleaning, then a small team, to help her manage all the properties. Moving from her home in Morebattle, as there was not enough space to store extra furniture acquired from various cottages, the team worked from Jill’s cottage in Lilliesleaf, which held an office for four downstairs. Jill concluded: “I worked so many hours I was ashamed to tell anyone”.

Strong Relationships with Owners

Jill worked closely with estates, farmers, shepherds and families and built relationships that lasted decades. She was known to arrive at a cottage with her cat and dog, which she named Ross and Cromarty, after the beautiful Highland County, both of whom were beloved by many guests and owners. She was gifted her kitten, Ross, after an owner remembered she loved Siamese cats and happened to have some newborn kittens. From receiving a kitten to attending barn dances with the locals, it’s safe to say Jill was a trusted, friendly face people were happy to be working with. The same long-standing partnership approach is still at the heart of how we work with owners across Scotland, with extensive knowledge of each property, our commitment to owners and their vision for their properties remains just as important now as ever.

Personal Knowledge of Every Cottage

Jill visited every cottage she took on, furnishing, designing and running them herself. She wouldn’t represent a cottage unless she had visited it, checked it thoroughly and was confident that guests would be well looked after. This personal, hands-on approach continues at Unique Cottages today. Every property is visited, every owner has a named contact who knows their property, and our team is provided with all the information needed to ensure guests enjoy a comfortable stay. Whether you’re amongst the rolling hills of the borders or scaling mountains in the Highlands, we know Scotland - and our cottages - down to the very last detail.

High Standards

For Jill, standards weren’t optional. Cleanliness, warmth and comfort were always a priority long before “quality assurance” became part of the industry. Jill personally inspected and prepared every cottage she took on. She was often visiting owners, advising them on improvements and keeping cottages in good shape at a time when tradespeople and facilities were limited. Those expectations continue today, guests can be sure of well-prepared, cared-for cottages with amazing attention to detail.

Looking After Rural Communities

Before anyone talked about “regenerative tourism”, Jill was doing it. She renovated empty, decaying cottages, supporting local tradespeople and helping sustain rural Scotland. Scottish expertise remains at the core of Unique Cottages' philosophy today. Our focus on properties exclusively in Scotland gives us a great advantage and in-depth insight into how tourism supports rural areas. Unique Cottages encourages guests to buy and adventure locally, with emphasis on leaving each location as you find it, without a trace. Like Jill, we truly care about supporting Scotland’s rural communities.

On one occasion, Jill accommodated a Glasgow orphanage in a cottage for the week. She reflected on how the children had never seen the countryside before, and they inevitably fell in love with it. Moments like these were positive reminders of the good her hard work was doing and how beneficial an escape to the Scottish countryside could be.

By early 1984, after years of travelling around Scotland and restoring cottages, Jill eventually established the company now known as Unique Cottages. Jill’s passion for self-catering stretched beyond her ambitions at Unique Cottages as she, along with five others, also founded The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) in 1978. Jill played a major part in skyrocketing Scotland’s tourism sector, and her passion for supporting tourism in Scotland is mirrored in the goals of the company today.

Looking Forward

Now 97 and residing in her home in Melrose, Jill remains passionate about self-catering and has provided many endlessly entertaining stories about her career in Scottish tourism.

Jill created a way for guests to fall in love with Scotland, nestled in a quiet cottage surrounded by unforgettable landscapes. Today, Unique Cottages prides itself on upholding this promise. Beautiful holiday cottages in stunning locations for guests to enjoy the majestic scenery found all over Scotland.

Many things have changed in Scottish tourism since Jill first squeezed an oven into the back of her little Mini. What Jill developed from a handful of properties and limited staff has continued to grow as a business, which is trusted by guests and owners for the very same reasons she set out all those decades ago. Despite many industry changes, the core principles Jill built Unique Cottages on, personal service, high standards, strong relationships and a genuine care for Scottish locations, remain the same.