PLANS for a pavilion to permanently house the Battle of Prestonpans Tapestry have been submitted to East Lothian Council.

The application, by the Battle of Prestonpans Heritage Trust, is the culmination of a long-standing ambition for a tapestry pavilion to be created next to the bath house at Prestongrange Museum, just west of Prestonpans.

But the chairman of the trust has said the group is also in discussions with other councils about finding a permanent home for the tapestry.

The industrial heritage museum at Prestongrange is run by East Lothian Council. It is hoped a new pavilion there could house the 104-metre embroidery, which was completed in 2010 but does not have a permanent home.

The tapestry tells the story of the Battle of Prestonpans in September 1745, which saw Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobites vanquish a Government force.

Gareth Jones, chairman of the trust, said: “The trust has been trying to enter into a partnership agreement for this with ELC for years and it has become clear that we need to submit this application to identify, formally, what the key issues to developing on the site might be.

“The trust is, in tandem, opening negotiations with at least one other local authority over the long-term future of the tapestry.” The trust says it has also submitted plans to East Lothian Council for a ‘memorial field’ to be created on land to the south-west of the former Cockenzie Power Station coal plant.

This would feature a central meadow area with stone table memorials, modelled on the table tombs found in local kirk yards.

Mr Jones added: “The proposal also includes the field area between the rail spur and Prestonpans, which would be returned to agricultural use. We hope that the proposal will provide a suitable area for reflecting on the events of 1745 and the lives lost on the field and offer some protection against future development on the battlefield.

“The field probably contains the mass grave pits dug on September 21, 1745, and the trust feels that the site should therefore be treated as a war grave.” East Lothian Council’s planning officials will consider the proposals over the coming months.