NEW signage directing visitors onto a path between a memorial to fallen soldier Colonel James Gardiner and a newly restored interpretation of his life and death has been unveiled.

The pathway at Bankton House was restored initially when the house itself was brought back into working order at the end of the last century.

However, work has been under way by the Battle of Prestonpans Heritage Trust to use the Bankton Doocot as part of a tour recounting the life of Colonel Gardiner, who lived in the house at the time of the Jacobite rebellion in 1745.

The trust has been working alongside the current residents of Bankton House and Steadings to make the path between the Doocot and Gardiner’s Obelisk, a memorial erected in the colonel’s honour, ready for visitors and accessible in all weathers. The project has been partially funded by a grant from Viridor Credits, and the sign, erected with support from Bord na Gaidhlig, is in English and Gaelic.

Colonel James Gardiner joined the army aged just 14 and took part in many great battles before the 1745 showdown with Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobites.

He was fatally wounded at the battle site, just a short distance from his home, and died at the age of 57.

Plans to launch Bankton Doocot as a DVD interpretation location telling of Gardiner’s Life and role in the Battle of Prestonpans are set for next month.

The path is across private land and will be closed for a week each Christmas.