DIARIES written by one of the Borders’ best known doctors are to go on show this week, through a play and series of blogs.

Born in 1845 at the Edinburgh port of Leith, John Stewart Muir worked briefly in Leven and Melrose before settling in Selkirk in 1867 as assistant to Dr Henry Anderson.

In 1874 he took over Anderson’s practice and was appointed medical officer for Selkirk Burgh , the prison, as well as several country parishes.

It was an appointment he was to serve for a remarkable 54 years.

In 2014, Live Borders Archive and Local History Service received a collection of diaries written daily by the GP from a family member.

The team at the Heritage Hub in Hawick will now record a series of podcasts and blogs from the diaries.

Extracts have also been turned into a play by local actor John Nichol.

Archive Manager Paul Brough said: “In the last two years or so the team at the Heritage Hub has grown to be very fond of Dr Muir, his work and his ‘mini adventures’. 

“I am very pleased to see the stories reach a wider audience.

“This project aims to engage the community of Selkirk and beyond with the story of Dr Muir while promoting the existing transcription and blogging work of the Heritage Hub.”

Actor John has created the one-man play and is set preform it at the County Hotel in Selkirk this weekend.

Mr Nichol said: “The diaries have opened my eyes to a bygone Selkirk with unfamiliar and familiar place-names that I have been compelled to seek out and acquaint, and reacquaint, myself with.

“Particularly interesting to me were the links I found with Doctor Muir just by talking to people, who either remembered him or his family, or knew people connected with him.

“My father and my aunt had their teeth extracted by him and I knew Doctor Muir’s grandson, Stewart Roberts, who is referred to in the diaries as ‘little Stewart’.”

John Nichol’s performance can be seen on on Friday, February 24 at 7pm and Saturday, February 25 at 2.30pm. 

Tickets for the productions are £4/£2.50 concession and are available from The County Hotel on 01750 721233 or by visiting http://www.countyhotelselkirk.co.uk/events

The blogs will be on show at http://www.liveborders.org.uk/archives