HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Prestongrange Museum is an industrial heritage museum at
Prestongrange Prestongrange is a place in East Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom, situated between Musselburgh to the west, and Prestonpans to the east. The place name derives from "Preston", meaning "priest's town", and a grange (or granary) which was wo ...
between
Musselburgh Musselburgh (; sco, Musselburrae; gd, Baile nam Feusgan) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It has a population of . History The name Musselburgh is Ol ...
and Prestonpans on the B1348 on the
East Lothian East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In 1975, the histo ...
coast, Scotland. Founded as the original site of the National Mining Museum, its operation reverted to East Lothian Council Museum Service (the current operators) in 1992.


History of the site

For centuries, Prestongrange was a place of intense industrial activity. A harbour, glass works, pottery, colliery, and brickworks have all left their marks on the landscape. Monks from
Newbattle Abbey Newbattle Abbey ( gd, Abaid a' Bhatail Nuaidh) was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Newbattle in Midlothian, Scotland, which subsequently become a stately home and then an educational institution. Monastery It was founded in 1140 by mo ...
first mined for coal in the area in the 12th century. From that, a coal mining industry developed and the first shaft of Prestongrange's last mine was sunk in 1830. A beam engine, modified by Harvey and Company of Hoyle in Cornwall and shipped to Scotland in 1874, pumped water out of the pit in three stages at 2,955 litres a minute. The mine was eventually closed in 1963. Cradled by woodland with views out over the Firth of Forth, the site is now a haven for wildlife where visitors are free to roam and explore monumental relics of Scotland's industrial heritage and discover giant machines such as the pit head winding gear and the Cornish beam engine, structures such as the powerhouse and a vast brick kiln, as well as coal wagons, a steam crane and more besides. The pump house and pump is a Category A listed building. The old generating house and the Hoffmann kiln are both Category B listed.


Development of Prestongrange Museum

By the early 1960s, the strategy of the National Coal Board meant that all of East Lothian's and most of Midlothian's collieries were earmarked for closure. At the same time, within the coalfield community, there was an awareness that technology and culture was also changing and much that was of significance was in danger of being lost forever. Prestongrange Colliery had closed in 1962 and the site began to be cleared. However, work stopped when a new plan to turn the site into a museum was adopted. The museum was the idea of David Spence, a retired mining engineer. A steering committee was formed in 1968. Volunteers worked to clear the site and assemble exhibits. The National Mining Museum was formally launched at Prestongrange on 28 September 1984. Prestongrange had three key merits as a museum site. First, the estate features in the earliest written account of collieries in Scotland, often dated to 1180–1210. Second, the existing colliery included the first deep shaft in Scotland, which
Matthias Dunn Matthias Dunn (bap. 1788, d. 1869) was a British mining engineer and one of the first government inspectors of mines. He was known for encouraging safe practices in mines. Early life Dunn was baptized at St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, Birtle ...
of Newcastle sank in 1830 to the Great Seam at . Third, the colliery housed the last Cornish beam engine remaining in situ in Scotland. Artefacts were collected from around the coalfield and stored at Prestongrange. The interior of the beam engine house and the colliery power station became galleries. With the closure of Lady Victoria Colliery at Newtongrange in 1981, the ambitions of the steering group expanded to include that site. After operating together from 1984 to 1992, Prestongrange was withdrawn from the National Mining Museum by East Lothian District Council and recast as Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum to encompass the area's other once significant but vanished industries – salt boiling,
chemical synthesis As a topic of chemistry, chemical synthesis (or combination) is the artificial execution of chemical reactions to obtain one or several products. This occurs by physical and chemical manipulations usually involving one or more reactions. In moder ...
(particularly
sulphuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid ( Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen and hydrogen, with the molecular formu ...
), soap making, glass making, potteries, industrial ceramics and bricks.


Main features

*the
Hoffmann Kiln The Hoffmann kiln is a series of batch process kilns. Hoffmann kilns are the most common kiln used in production of bricks and some other ceramic products. Patented by German Friedrich Hoffmann for brickmaking in 1858, it was later used for lime- ...
(or, more precisely, the Hoffmann Continuous Kiln) *the
Cornish engine A Cornish engine is a type of steam engine developed in Cornwall, England, mainly for pumping water from a mine. It is a form of beam engine that uses steam at a higher pressure than the earlier Watt steam engine, engines designed by James Wat ...
(a type of
beam engine A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used by Thomas Newco ...
) the only one in Scotland *the winding engine *the Power House *the 17th century
glass works Glass production involves two main methods – the float glass process that produces sheet glass, and glassblowing that produces bottles and other containers. It has been done in a variety of ways during the history of glass. Glass container ...
*the 18th century
pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...
site *the 19th century coal mine and
brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
works * Morrison's Haven, the 16th century
harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...
*the railway (remains) and rolling stock *the Visitor Centre with its exhibition


Beam engine

The beam engine is a
Cornish engine A Cornish engine is a type of steam engine developed in Cornwall, England, mainly for pumping water from a mine. It is a form of beam engine that uses steam at a higher pressure than the earlier Watt steam engine, engines designed by James Wat ...
, an early type of
steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...
, used to pump water from the coal mine to prevent the workings from becoming flooded. It was manufactured by J. E. Mare & Co of Plymouth to the design of engineers Hocking & Loam and used in three different mines in
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
before being purchased by the Prestongrange Coal and Iron Company in 1874 and shipped north. It was bought from a Cornish Mine site by Harvey and Company of Hayle, who sold it on to Prestongrange complete with a new beam of their own manufacture.Brown, K. 1982. Prestongrange 70-inch Cornish engine - a myth exploded, Journal of the Trevithick Soc. 9, 42-51. The engine was installed in a new engine house, whose front wall is nearly thick in order to support the main pivot bearing of the huge cast iron beam. The engine continued operating until 1954, when it was superseded by electric pumps, only eight years before the colliery closed. The engine is the only example in Scotland.


Facilities

A self-guided tour by mobile phone is available, and it is narrated by the painter
John Bellany John Bellany (18 June 1942 – 28 August 2013) was a Scottish painter. Early life Bellany was born in Port Seton. His father and grandfather were fishermen in Port Seton and Eyemouth near Edinburgh. During the early 1960s, he studied at ...
who was born in
Port Seton Cockenzie and Port Seton ( sco, Cockennie ; gd, Cùil Choinnich, meaning "cove of Kenneth") is a unified town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is on the coast of the Firth of Forth, four miles east of Musselburgh. The burgh of Cockenzie was created ...
. The museum is also the gateway to the annual Three Harbours Festival, jointly organised by the communities of Prestonpans,
Prestongrange Prestongrange is a place in East Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom, situated between Musselburgh to the west, and Prestonpans to the east. The place name derives from "Preston", meaning "priest's town", and a grange (or granary) which was wo ...
, Cockenzie,
Port Seton Cockenzie and Port Seton ( sco, Cockennie ; gd, Cùil Choinnich, meaning "cove of Kenneth") is a unified town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is on the coast of the Firth of Forth, four miles east of Musselburgh. The burgh of Cockenzie was created ...
and other nearby areas such as West Pans and Drum Mhor. The museum grounds are also used for local events, guided tours, theatrical performances, and during the re-enactments of the Battle of Prestonpans. Since the completion of the
Prestonpans Tapestry The Battle of Prestonpans Tapestry 1745, or simply the Prestonpans Tapestry, is a large embroidery created in 2010 in Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland. It depicts the events before, during and after the Battle of Prestonpans on 21 September 1 ...
in July 2010, there is a possibility that this artwork may find a temporary or permanent home at Prestongrange.


See also

*
Industrial archaeology Industrial archaeology (IA) is the systematic study of material evidence associated with the industrial past. This evidence, collectively referred to as industrial heritage, includes buildings, machinery, artifacts, sites, infrastructure, docu ...
*
European Route of Industrial Heritage The European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH) is a tourist route of the most important industrial heritage sites in Europe. This is a tourism industry information initiative to present a network of industrial heritage sites across Europe. The a ...
(ERIH) * List of places in East Lothian


References


External links

{{Commons category, Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum
The Museum's websiteNational Trust website on Levant Beam EngineSCRAN database, part of RCAHMS (Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland)
Industry museums in Scotland Steam museums in Scotland Museums in East Lothian 1984 establishments in Scotland Museums established in 1984 Category A listed buildings in East Lothian