Castle Gate, Dunbar, EH42 1HX

A black painted ship propeller opposite Victoria Harbour has been unveiled in 2003 as a memorial to a Dubar-born maritime inventor, Robert Wilson, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of his birth. Robert Wilson was born at the Shore of Dunbar, following the death of his father, difficult circumstances meant the family moved inland. However, Wilson’s passion for the sea and ships remained strong and he worked on maritime propulsion since his teenage years, supported by the Lauderdales in Dunbar.

By the 1820s, he demonstrated working models of rotary propellers in Leith Harbour, and winning a prize from Highland Society and the Scottish Society of Arts in 1832.  As his inventions were not widely adopted yet, he earned his living as Works Manager of the Bridgewater Foundry (in Patricroft, Lancaster) later becoming the managing partner. Wilson secured over 30 patents for engineering advances, both for the technology behind Nasmyth’s steam hammers, as well as some in propellers. While he did not receive the wide recognition – Francis Petit Smith reaped most of the rewards – his work was accepted by the navy and in 1880 he was awarded 500 pounds to licence his double action screw propeller to drive torpedoes.

Robert Wilson: https://www.johngraycentre.org/people/engineers-and-inventors/robert-wilson-1803-1882/

126 High Street, Dunbar, EH42 1JJ

John Muir, the pioneering naturalist and preservationist, was born on 21 April 1838 in the house at 126 High Street in Dunbar. His family moved to US when he was 11 years old and following eclectic studies at the University of Wisconsin, Muir dedicated his life to exploring, describing and advocating for the protection of wildness. He was instrumental in the protection of the Yosemite National Park in US, as well as other areas of outstanding natural beauty in the American West. He is noted for advancing the “preservationist” principles to wilderness protection, eschewing any human “use” of natural environment, in contrast to the “milder” conservationist movement, where more exploitative activities are permitted, as long as some of the area is preserved.

Muir was a prolific writer and published books describing his time in the wild as well as botanical and geological theories. He was well known in his time, and with his “celebrity” status, he spent time in the wild with the US President Theodore Roosevelt as well as scientists, artists and philanthropists. In his honour, his birthplace is now a museum dedicated to interpreting his life and work, and is also the staring point of the John Muir Way, a walking route connecting Scotland’s East and West coast (Dunbar-Helensburgh). The John Muir Country Park, a conservation area dedicated to local coastal flora and fauna is located to the North of Dunbar.

John Muir’s Birthplace https://www.jmbt.org.uk/
John Muir’s Way https://johnmuirway.org/

92-84 High St, Prestonpans, EH32 9JF

In the centre of Prestonpans are two gardens – the Burns Memorial Garden on the shore and the Corronation Garden in front of Prestonpans Parish Church. These unique resting spaces provide a fascinating insight in local history, as well as a beautiful backdrop to a weary traveller.

The Burns Memorial Garden contains a memorial to the Scottish national poet erected at the bicentenary of his death, as well as a Burns Memorial Shelter. The latter includes a mural created by the artist Kate Hunter and illustrating Burns’ poem Tam O’Shanter. Perstonpans is known for its murals – 35 of them are part of the Mural Trail designed by the Prestoungrange Arts Festival Society.

Alongside the murals, Prestonpans also has numerous memorial gardens and monuments to its fascinating history. Hence, in the Burns Memorial Garden, we also find a monument to local industries, created in 1968 by Leslie Frank Chorley. Traditionally, the town’s two most well-known industries were the production of salt using salt panning (i.e. evaporating salt water in large pans, which also gave rise to the town’s name) and coal mining. Coal was discovered in Prestonpans by the Newbattle Abbey monks in 1210, which was likely the first instance of coal mining in Britain.

On the opposite side of the High Street is the coronation garden with the monument to military surgeon Thomas Alexander. Alexander served in all major campaigns of the 19^th century, rising all the way to the position of Director General of the Medical Department of the British Army. During the Crimean War, he befriended the acclaimed nurse Florence Nightingale, and much like her, he went on to reform some of the critical practices and standards of care in hospital environments. Behind the Alexander monument is the ruin of the 14th-century Preston Tower, which has seen multiple sieges and was a prominent base for military engagement. Ruined in 1663 after an accidental fire, it missed the legendary Battle of Prestonpans, where Highlanders supporting the return of Prince Charles defeated the Government forces during the early stages of the Jacobite rebellion. 

Prestonpans http://bikelove-scotland.blogspot.com/2011/08/prestonpans-port-seton-cockenzie-battle.html?m=1
Robert Burns Memorial Shelter https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/robert-burns-memorial-shelter
Prestoungrange Arts Festival (Murals Trail) http://www.prestoungrange.org/arts-festival/html/murals/muralstrail.html