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 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Prestonpans Town Hall | |
| Location | High Street, Prestonpans |
| Coordinates | 55°57′32″N 2°59′08″W / 55.9589°N 2.9855°W |
| Built | 1897 |
| Architect | Peter Whitecross |
| Architectural style(s) | Renaissance Revival style |
Listed Building – Category C(S) | |
| Official name | High Street, Town Hall |
| Designated | 20 March 1997 |
| Reference no. | LB43945 |
  Shown in East Lothian | |
History
edit
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
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Historic Environment Scotland. "High Street, Town Hall (LB43945)". Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ "Prestonpans Burgh". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Condition and Proposals Report: Prestonpans Town Hall" (PDF). Prestoungrange. p. 10. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1900. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ McWilliam, Colin; Wilson, Christopher (1978). Lothian Except Edinburgh (The Buildings of Scotland). Penguin Books. p. 400. ISBN 978-0140710663.
- ^ a b c "Opening of the town hall" (PDF). Haddington Courier. 13 August 1897. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ "No. 18676". The Edinburgh Gazette. 14 June 1968. p. 515.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Historic East Lothian town hall to become battle museum with ambitious refit". Edinburgh Live. 23 April 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ "Haddingtonshire Directory". Pigot & Co. 1837. p. 479.
- ^ "Jacobite Conference Held At Town Hall". The Battle of Prestonpans (1745) Heritage Trust. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ "Battle of Prestonpans Jacobite Museum, Prestonpans – Museums". www.visitscotland.com. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "Town Hall Museum". Battle of Prestonpans 1745. Retrieved 25 August 2023.