Tourism centre plans for historic bathhouse

The plans, drawn up by the Battle of Prestonpans Heritage Trust, come after months of discussions with East Lothian Council and will see the bathhouse at Prestongrange Heritage Museum, in Prestonpans, transformed into a state-of-the-art Battle Centre.

Artist's impressions of how the building, which once provided miners with a place to wash after a shift, will look have also been revealed for the first time.

The Trust has applied to the heritage Lottery Fund for £3.7million towards the cost of the project which it believes could benefit the local economy to the tune of £5million a year.

The bathhouse will be the permanent home for the 104-metre long Battle of Prestonpans Tapestry – an impressive community artwork which has been viewed by 400,000 people in the UK and overseas.

In addition, there will be a high-quality exhibition about the Battle of Prestonpans, a new café, a learning centre, volunteer facilities and an observation tower attracting up to 80,000 visits annually to Prestonpans and Prestongrange.

It will also be the new home of the Scottish Battlefield Trust, Scottish Diaspora Tapestry and the Jacobite Trail.

The Heritage Lottery Fund grant, if approved, will cover conservation and building works, a new exhibition, the display of the Tapestry, and fourteen new staff posts to deliver the scheme, as well as a range of exciting activities for the public, including conferences, guided walks and workshops.

The Trust is seeking an additional £1.8m towards the success of this project, and will be launching an online fundraising campaign alongside other fundraising activities.

The new centre is being supported by local politicians with both East Lothian MP George Kerevan and MSP Iain Gray backing the project.

Councillor Willie Innes, leader of East Lothian Council said: "We very much look forward to working with the Trust. This is a transformative project for both Prestonpans and for East Lothian."