Welcome to Object of The Month, a new way to enjoy the Coastal Communities Museum when the museum is closed. We will be selecting some of our most interesting objects and artefacts to share.
The first North Berwick Safety Swimming Pond was opened by the Lord Justice General on 16 September 1900, in front of nearly 3000 residents and visitors. Many swimming galas and events were held at the pool and it was a wonderful place to visit for families on holiday.
Read MoreAlexander ‘Prophet’ Peden (1626-1686) was a Covenanting preacher. Covenanters were a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland. The name is derived from ‘Covenant’, a biblical term for a bond or agreement with God.
Read More‘Ugli’ hats were made by generations of female farm workers to a standard design. Often brightly coloured, they protected the wearer against sun, rain and wind. Wicker stiffened the neck band and ties and nine hooped canes created a stiff hood.
Read MoreForrest’s map of 1799 shows a Washing House in Dirleton as far back as 1799. By the later 19th century there were washing houses attached to large houses and groups of cottages shared washing houses. In 1913 the Turbyne family bought the former schoolhouse in Dirleton and set up a laundry.
Read MoreThe stitching of samplers was believed to be a sign of virtue, achievement and industry, and girls were taught the art of embroidery and sampler design from a young age.
Read MoreExtract of Obituary from Haddingtonshire Courier, 27 September 1878:
Everyone will miss the familiar face of Johnnie Bowers from the streets and corners of the town. The style in which Johnnie acted as town-crier was thoroughly unique. The old bell having worn out and disappeared, the Town Council left Johnnie to his own resources.
“The session appoints ane paire of iogges to be made as formerly has been and affixed in the most convenient pairt within the church yeard.”
North Berwick Kirk Session Minutes, April 1674
This leather bound illuminated Book of Remembrance was created as a permanent record of the names of the fallen from North Berwick in the Great War. The book was the inspiration of Reverend William Lyon who lost three brothers in the Great War.
Read MoreAt the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020, a team of 40 ladies from Gullane and the surrounding area dusted off their sewing machines and sharpened their scissors when it became apparent that the NHS and others in the healthcare sector were struggling to source basic PPE items such as scrub sets, scrub bags and face coverings.
Read MoreThis Wall Hanging was made by the Law Quilters during the Covid lockdown of 2020 and 2021. The Law Quilters group was founded in 1988 with 10 talented and enthusiastic members and now has 40 members. Many of the group were involved in making parts of the quilt, all working on their own.
Read MoreThis enamel sign belonged to an Edwardian chemist’s shop that was situated on North Berwick High Street. After the invention of soda machines in America in the nineteenth century, British companies manufactured soda pumps which carbonated water using carbonic acid.
Read MoreMirror balls were common on dance floors in the 1960s and 1970s. The Pavilion, or ‘The Piv’ as it was fondly known, opened on 30 June 1930 in North Berwick harbour next to the outdoor pool.
Read MoreWe are lucky to have an original beach hut at the Coastal Communities Museum. This account of the history of the West Bay Beach Huts was complied in 2021 by Stewart Auld, who generously donated his beach hut to the museum and is William Auld’s great grandson:
Read MoreHew Dalrymple was the third son of James Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair. A successful lawyer, he was Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, Lord President of the Court of Session, and a baronet of Nova Scotia. He was a commissioner for the Union of 1707 and planted the beech trees on the Law to commemorate the event.
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