CHURCH records and 400-year-old goblets will be available to the public when Tranent Parish Church holds an open day later this month.

The historic records will be on display for people to browse through, along with an exhibition of activities at the church and the chance to simply have a look around.

After a successful event two years ago and growing demand from the community, the church decided to hold the second community open day.

Stealing the show will be an exhibition featuring two Communion goblets which are 400 years old this year.

The cups were made of gilt silver by George Crawford of Edinburgh and presented by George Seaton, the third Earl of Winton, to the church in 1618.

They were used in the church for about 100 years; however, they were then lost for two centuries after they were taken away for ‘safekeeping’ by the Setons around the time of the Battle of Prestonpans when the church found itself in a strategic position.

In 1930, Sir Douglas Seton Stewart gifted the goblets to the Scottish Episcopal Bishop Harry Reid of Edinburgh and they were taken to St Mary’s Cathedral. 

However, the clear engravings on the goblets with their place of origin led to them being returned to Tranent in December 1945.

One stipulation came with their return: the goblets must be kept and used for their intended purpose.

And so for the past 72 years, the goblets have been in safe storage but retrieved for use at every main Communion service within the parish church and will continue to do so.

At the open day there will be an opportunity to view the Communion goblets, along with the church records of marriages and baptisms that have taken place in the church for more than 250 years. 

There will also be a display of the work that the church carries out today.

The open day is on Saturday, April 21, from noon until 3pm and all are welcome.

More details of the church and its open day can be found by visiting its Facebook page.