Its name came from its salt manufacturing using pans on the shoreline...
Lots of interesting Buildings...
It has 14th Century Tower Keep...
What i love is how the towns History has been put on its walls in Murals.
Coal was mined since the 13th Century,There were Brewery's and potteries and a brick works...
It also once had a fishing Harbour `Morison`s Haven` at nearby Preston Grange,Herring and oysters mostly...
Memorial to the men from here who gave there lives in the two World Wars...
Preston Grange itself has a Heritage Museum which is free to visit and has some examples of Kilns and Mining machinery that operated the pits which went far out under the Firth of Forth. There will be another post later just on the Museum...
Coal Mine Shaft Cap...
Prestonpans is also site of a victorious battle again an English led army, on 21st September 1745.
The Scots led by `The Young Pretender` Charles Edward Stuart defeated the army loyal to the Hanoverian George II led by Sir John Cope. One of the most successful battles for the Scots during the 2nd Jacobite Uprising.
But it is strange that today the battle is celebrated for its slaughter of the Hanoverian troops rather than commemorate those that died on both sides...
You can read more details about the battle Here...
Other Murals show ways of life in the Town...
And recreation...
In 2006 a 32 foot tall Totem Pole was carved by sculptors from a 75-year-old Cedar log given to Prestonpans by the people of Vancouver Island.
I think this is ace...
A six-pointed star represents the salt industry and a miner for the town's coal mining past...
A teapot to represents pottery,a Prestongrange brick, and a fishing boat all represent past Industries.
Both Scottish and English flags were included on the totem pole to represent the Battle of Prestonpans in 1745...
I Think the Town has done a great job of preserving its history...
I saw a totem on one of the murals that you show before the actual (real) totem photo's. I wondered if that particular mural was depicting all the places in the world where salt from Prestonpans was sent.... On my blog I sometimes talk about riding my bike along trails and things, many of them in the Cowichan Valley where the donated Prestonpan pole was from. I must see if I can find a similar story here, talking about selecting the tree, and shipping it over....
ReplyDeleteThats fantastic you know the area where it is from PaddyAnne!, look forward to what you canfind out -:)
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