Prestonpans Town Hall holds Victorian weekend

THE 125th anniversary of Prestonpans Town Hall is being marked with a Victorian weekend.

The East Lothian town will hold a re-enactment of the opening ceremony on 6 August, complete with costumes.

An actor will play Richard Haldane, who was the member of parliament for “Haddingtonshire” and who opened the hall.

Celebrations will continue on 6 and 7 August at the town hall, which now serves as a museum.

Gordon Prestoungrange, chairman of The Battle of Prestonpans (1745) Heritage Trust, said: “Prestonpans Town Hall will always be much more than ‘our’ transitional museum.

“It wasn’t until we pondered how best to restore our then mothballed town hall that we realised just what a jewel we had leased.

“As we’ve proceeded and more and more of our town’s people have visited, the realisation has grown stronger that our heritage hall must never be allowed to return to the mothballed state it had reached before we took the lease.

“Continuing community future use must be ensured and we are committed to do all we can to help that happen working with the community council and many more.”

The trust is also appealing to families to share information about any ancestors who took part in the original opening ceremony.

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