A small former mining village of Eskdale in Dumfries and Galloway, Rowanburn lies a mile (1.5 km) to the northeast of Canonbie. It was built 1860-63 to house miners working in the Canonbie coalfield, which was centred here. The lands were the property of the Duke of Buccleuch, who leased areas for coal-mining from 1770. The houses still comprise neat rows of brick-built cottages. Latterly two pits operated here; Blinkbonny to the north and Rowanburn to the west. The last mine closed in 1922 and little evidence of these remains, although a ruined 'Powder House' together with some of the former pit offices can still be seen. A former bing located to the northwest of the B6357 road has been landscaped and planted with trees as part of a nature trail.
Canonbie Station was built here in 1864 on a branch of the Border Union Railway from Langholm, but the station closed in 1964. To the south, on the same railway, the Riddings Viaduct is a nine-span viaduct which crosses the Liddel Water and the English border.
