Prestonpans Town Hall

Prestonpans had a long history as a baronial burgh, but in 1862 it became a “Police Burgh”. This allowed the town’s householders to elect their own commissioners to a burgh council.

In 1875 a Literary Institute Committee was founded in Prestonpans with the aim of building a reading room and lecture hall within the town. Its members held fundraising bazaars in 1876 and again in 1887, but the idea made slow progress. In June 1894 the committee finally gave up on its plan, and offered instead to donate the money it had raised to the burgh commissioners, to fund the construction of a town hall.

Not all of the commissioners were in favour of constructing a town hall – no doubt because of their ongoing liabilities for any such building and its maintenance. A local referendum was therefore held. The vote took place on 4 June 1895, and the motion to build a hall was carried by 50 votes to 38. Construction began the following year. The appointed architect, Peter Whitecross, and most of the building contractors were local. The building cost £1,500 to erect, and it was officially opened by Richard Haldane MP on 9 August 1897.

Richard Haldane (1856-1928) served as MP for Haddingtonshire (now East Lothian) from 1885 to 1911. He was an influential politician, serving variously as Secretary of State for War, Lord Chancellor, and Leader of the House of Lords. At the opening of Prestonpans Town Hall he gave a speech referring to the hardy and industrious temper of the townsfolk, and the sense of ambition and civic pride such a fine building reflected. He was presented with a ceremonial key to the building by its architect.

The burgh council continued until the the Local Government (Scotland) Act of 1973 rationalised local government structures. The Town Hall was inherited by the new local authority, East Lothian District Council, which became East Lothian Council in 1996. The council still owns the Town Hall, but it began leasing the building to the Battle of Prestonpans (1745) Heritage Trust in 2021.

Even after the burgh council ceased in 1975, the Town Hall continued to play an important part in the life of the community. It was extended twice, covering the old close along its west wall. The hall has hosted parties, political meetings, plays, concerts, and consultations. The Bay City Rollers once played the stage here, and visitors often share recollections of Co-op gatherings, school plays, wedding celebrations, and pensioners’ lunch clubs. In 1984-5, the Town Hall served as a soup kitchen during the Miners’ Strike.

References to elements of the Town Hall’s past can still be found around the building. These include two vintage spot-lamps, a board listing the provosts of Prestonpans from 1893-1975, and the provost’s chair – now used annually for the coronation of the Children’s Gala queen.

In 2021-2 we held a memories project to collate local reminiscences about the Town Hall, resulting in a specially-commissioned painting by Janet McCrorie (right). Today it hangs in the lobby, alongisde a collection of images of old Prestonpans.

The memories collected during the project can be read in the Memory Book kept in the museum reception area.

In 2022, to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the official opening of the Town Hall we held a re-enactment of the original ceremony on the main stage. Drawing on evidence provided by the pages of the Haddingtonshire Courier, the recreation included the original speeches which had first been given in 1897 by the main participants in the ceremony: the provost, Dr McEwan; the chairman of the Literary Institute Committee, William Ranken; and Richard Haldane. As it had 125 years before, the ceremony concluded with music and refreshments, and a wonderful time was had! The occasion not only celebrate the Town Hall’s milestone birthday, but also the beginning of a new chapter in its story.

Since its foundation in 2006, The Battle of Prestonpans (1745) Heritage Trust had often held events and exhibitions in the Town Hall, including ceilidhs marking the anniversary of the battle, public talks, and displays of the Prestonpans Tapestry. It was even used once a year as a barracks to house the Jacobites and redcoats who were taking part in our re-enactment events!

But general usage of the Town Hall had been dimishing for years, impacted particularly by the construction of a new community centre in the early 1980s. It was the Community Centre, built in the former grounds of the long-lost Preston House, which held the 250th anniversary exhibition for the Battle of Prestonpans. The heraldic shields of the Highland clans still adorn its main hall today.

By 2020 the Town Hall’s future seemed uncertain, with the building mothballed. The Trust had planned a series of events at the hall to mark the 275th anniversary of the battle, but when these were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic our lack of our own facilities was really brought home. With long-standing ambitions to build a permanent home for The Prestonpans Tapestry, it had become clear that the Trust needed a physical location from which to operate its education and interpretation activities until such time as a permanent visitor attraction near the battlefield could be created.

These considerations led to discussions with East Lothian Council, who agreed to lease the Town Hall to the Trust from 2021. There followed a period of intensive fundraising in order for the Trust to make the building fit to re-open to the public. The resulting renovations saw the main hall restored to a colour scheme inspired by the original green-white-terracotta palette described in news articles from 1897, the removal of the low suspended ceiling over the former ante-room, and the transformation of the old function bar into a reception and shop area. The Trust continues to make improvements to the museum, completing renovations of the former kitchen into a staff room in 2024 and enhancing the toilet facilities in early 2025. Future plans include the restoration of the lamp which once hung over the original entrance.

Becoming a museum has allowed Prestonpans Town Hall to enjoy a renaissance. Once a symbol of the community’s self-confidence and pride, it is once again a welcoming and valued space serving to the people of the town and those drawn to its long and fascinating heritage. Harking back to its original purpose, the Community Council now meets in the main hall every month.

The Battle of Prestonpans Museum opened in April 2022, and welcomes thousands of visitors each year.