Our Heritage 'Campaign' & Significant Reports and Plans Arising

The Trustees launched the Dream of the People of Prestonpans in September 2006, setting out a range of issues they would focus on. These Issues are listed immediately below here and a link is provided to the original documentation.

As the Campaign has progressed significant steps have been taken giving rise to Reports and Plans and these are also summarised and linked below e.g. RGA's Economic Feasibility Study.

Issues addressed at the outset for Prestonpans Heritage Campaign were:

History/Context of the Battle of Prestonpans
Legislation/Protection of the site and surrounding area
Site Analysis
Curing Scars - looking at the best way of presenting the battlefield area in the future
Power Station - working with Scottish Power to help improve all impacts to the area
Waggon Way - a look at restoring Waggon Way at the battlefield in conjunction with the John Muir Way
Battle Centre - creating an engaging 'Living History' centre at the site
Route - marking the battlefield route including the Riggonhead Defile and setting up interactive media
Art-Sculpture-Follies - creating battle relevant landmarks
Ports -preserving and interpreting the harbour areas to assist regeneration
Prestonpans - boosting the local community through these projects
Industry - looking at the local industry throughout history

Follow the links at HERE below for the details. A short Summary appears here too.

View the Prestonpans Heritage Campaign HERE

View the Trust's NewsLetter Update @ May 2008 HERE

Trust NewsLetters are printed from time to time for handing out at events in addition to the services provided for all here on this website.

View the Report from VisitScotland Expo, Aberdeen 16 & 17 April 2008 HERE

Source Tourism Solutions has undertaken exploratory studies with the travel trade and amongst societies & clubs to evaluate demand for visits and to develop ways to encourage visitors to enjoy a Prestonpans Experience of the battlefield and the murals art.

Briefing for all Prestonpans Volunteers with The Alan Breck Regiment HERE

Ian Nimmo, PastChairman of the RLS Society, has written this 'factitious' history of Al[l]an Breck Stewart, whose name has been given to the re-enactment Prestonpans Volunteers established under Martin Margulies as Colonel-in-Chief in September 2007

Economic Feasibility of a Visitor Centre at Meadowmill by RGA

The first major external study commissioned by the Trustees explored whether or not a Visitor Centre at Meadowmill could, once capital expenditure had been met, function of a self-sustaining basis. RGA's Max Gaunt, a Tourism Potential Assessor with the strongest reputation in Scotland who correctly forecast visitor success for the Falkirk Wheel and the Scottish Parliament, was invited to undertake the evaluation for the Trust and we are delighted to report he confirmed the Trustee's intuition suggesting that some 70,000 visitors each year could be predicted provided the Centre was of the right quality.

View RGA's Report HERE

Battlefield Archaeological Research & Related Initiatives - with HLF Support

The Trustees absolutely believe that the necessary 'quality' Visitor Centre at Meadowmill must be based on thoroughly researched foundations, not least of the battlefield itself. And although the passage of 263 years has meant a considerable portion of that ground is now in residential and industrial use implying much may have been lost, it remains a primary requirement that what remains shall be carefully evaluated, archived and as appropriate prepared for presentation at the Centre.

To carry this forward with the counsel of Dr Tony Pollard of Glasgow University Battlefield Archaeology Centre and the County Archaeologist Biddy Simpson, a 'Your Heritage' Grant from the Heritage Lottery was sought and gained in March 2008. Some £50,000 for HLF together with £10,000 from other Trust donors is being invested in this and other activities described below.

View 'Your Heritage' Project Proposal HERE

The 'Your Heritage' Project also includes a September 2008 Symposium convened by Trustee Herbert Coutts for all stakeholders to debate Campaign Progress to date and future Challenges, the training of Visitor Guides and the creation of battlefield markers.

View 2008 Symposium Evaluation Report HERE

'Imagining' Victory Hope and Ambition within The Centre

The Visitor Centre is not to be a 'museum' of history. It is conceived as a forum for Living History, building on the Hope and Ambition created by Victory at Prestonpans in 1745. Whilst the story will of course be told of the stunning Victory achieved by Prince Charles Edward's Highlanders over the redcoat army led by General Sir John Cope, it will be the occasion for the celebration of the Hopes and Ambitions of each and every visitor that hears and sees it retold. To begin to imagine and to envision how this can be accomplished and sustained at the Centre the Trustees commissioned the internationally acclaimed interior design team at haleysharpedesign to work during the summer of 2008 and to present their own emergent ideas to MSPs at Holyrood Parliament and to the HLF sponsored Biennial Battle Symposium in Prestonpanson September 18th/ 19th. The Final Report was tabled in October and is linked below along with the two interim documents.

1. View the 'Imagining Options' HERE

2. View haleysharpedesign's 'Suggested Scheme' preseneted at Holyrood HERE

3. View haleysharpedesign's 'Final Report' HERE

Historic Scotland's Consultation on How Best to Protect the Nation's Battlefields

During the early summer of 2008 Historic Scotland sought the nation's views through a Consultation Document setting out what they felt should be done to protect Scotland's Battlefields. The Trust considered the document not only amongst themselves but at an Open Consultation in Prestonpans on June 23rd to which they invited leaders from East Lothian Antiquarians, Dunbar and Prestonpans Community Councils, Prestonpans Historical Society, Old Musselburgh Club's Pinkie Group and the public at large.

The overwhelming opinion was that the document was 'slight' and came nowhere near to meeting the requirements of the challenges or the opportuinities. A set of 'trenchant' comments were tabled and submitted to Historic Scotland as well as forwaded to the First Minister and the Minister of Culture. In essence the Trust argued that battlefields are far more than tactics and terrain. They have a vital educational message to share and they are an integral element in the personality and self esteem of the community where the battle took place. Simply to identify archaeologically the precise site and 'protect' it falls well short of what is required and international comparisons demonstrate this clearly.

View our Trust's Response to Historic Scotland HERE

View Historic Scotland's analysis of 70 responses received HERE

[N.B. All Accessible Responses are also available HERE]

Conserving & Interpreting the WaggonWay from Tranent to Cockenzie

The WaggonWay that runs from Tranent to Cockenzie is arguably Britain's oldest railway. Its gravity system allowed coal from Tranent to reach Cockenzie Harbour with ease from the beginning of the 18th century - initially with wooden rails later replaced by iron. The proposed scheme will involve research archaeology, interpretation boards, the construction of a replica waggon and the re-routing of the surviving paths to join with the John Muir Way at the north. Bonnie Prince Charlie's Highland Army charged across the WaggonWay as they pursued the redcoats to the walls of Preston House in 1745.

View the Initial 'Draft' Proposal HERE

Third Force News from Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations

The Battle Trust is a Members of the Council of SCVO and when Raymond Duncan saw Andrew Dallmeyer's Battle of Pots 'n Pans at The Fringe in August he resolved to feature a supportive review of our work, commending our approach to other communities that are stewards of the nation's battlefields.Now there's a thought!

View to TFN Article October 2008 HERE