Prestonpans Town Hall is a municipal building on the High Street of Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland. The building, which is largely used as a community events venue, is a Category C listed building.[1]

Prestonpans Town Hall
Prestonpans Town Hall
LocationHigh Street, Prestonpans
Coordinates55°57′32″N 2°59′08″W / 55.9589°N 2.9855°W / 55.9589; -2.9855
Built1897
ArchitectPeter Whitecross
Architectural style(s)Renaissance Revival style
Listed Building – Category C(S)
Official nameHigh Street, Town Hall
Designated20 March 1997
Reference no.LB43945
Prestonpans Town Hall is located in East Lothian
Prestonpans Town Hall
Shown in East Lothian

History

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Prestonpans Town Hall interior, following renovations in 2021.

Following significant population growth, largely associated with the fishing, salt panning and coal mining industries, Prestonpans became a burgh in 1862.[2] In 1875, the new burgh leaders decided to procure a meeting place for civic events:[3] The site they selected was open ground on the south side of the High Street.[4] The new building, financed by public subscription, was designed by a local architect, Peter Whitecross, in Renaissance Revival style.[5] It was built in red sandstone by Cooper and Son of Musselburgh, at a cost of £1,500, and was officially opened by Haddingtonshire member of parliament Richard Haldane on 9 August 1897.[6] The guests at the ceremony included Colonel Thomas Cadell of the 2nd Bengal Fusiliers, who had been awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions as a junior officer during the Indian Rebellion.[6]

The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with three bays facing onto the High Street; the central bay featured an off-centre doorway with a stone architrave supporting a frieze inscribed with the words "Town Hall" and a segmental pediment with a coat of arms in the tympanum. The doorway was flanked by a sash window to the left and by a small window and, beyond that, by a sash window to the right.[1] The gable above contained a three-light mullioned window with a small pediment.[1] The building extended south along New Street with the first of the five bays containing a carved date stone.[1] Internally, the principal room was the main hall.[6]

In the mid-20th century the building was extended to the west, enclosing the lane that previously existed there, and to the south, establishing additional facilities.[3] It was used exclusively as an events venue with the burgh council officers and their departments based in the Town Chambers.[7]

In April, 2021, the Battle of Prestonpans (1745) Heritage Trust acquired a five-year lease over the building from the East Lothian Council with the objective of renovating it and preparing it as museum space, to commemorate the Battle of Prestonpans,[8][9] a battle in which Jacobite forces, led by the Stuart exile and pretender to the throne, Charles Edward Stuart, defeated a government army under the command of Sir John Cope, just to the south of Prestonpans on 21 September 1745.[10] Following an extensive programme of renovation works to the main hall, which was carried out in summer 2021, the building re-opened with a conference on Jacobite themes.[11] It became the site of the Prestonpans Jacobite Museum in April 2023.[12][13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Historic Environment Scotland. "High Street, Town Hall (LB43945)". Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Prestonpans Burgh". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Condition and Proposals Report: Prestonpans Town Hall" (PDF). Prestoungrange. p. 10. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1900. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  5. ^ McWilliam, Colin; Wilson, Christopher (1978). Lothian Except Edinburgh (The Buildings of Scotland). Penguin Books. p. 400. ISBN 978-0140710663.
  6. ^ a b c "Opening of the town hall" (PDF). Haddington Courier. 13 August 1897. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  7. ^ "No. 18676". The Edinburgh Gazette. 14 June 1968. p. 515.
  8. ^ "Battle trust takes over Prestonpans Town Hall, with plans for museum and activity centre there". East Lothian Courier. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Historic East Lothian town hall to become battle museum with ambitious refit". Edinburgh Live. 23 April 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Haddingtonshire Directory". Pigot & Co. 1837. p. 479.
  11. ^ "Jacobite Conference Held At Town Hall". The Battle of Prestonpans (1745) Heritage Trust. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Battle of Prestonpans Jacobite Museum, Prestonpans – Museums". www.visitscotland.com. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Town Hall Museum". Battle of Prestonpans 1745. Retrieved 25 August 2023.