ABERLADY turns back the hands of time this Saturday by bringing bygone days to life.

A heritage day – called Aberlady All Eras – takes place and explores the historical roots of the coastal village, with talks, workshops and a dinner party.

The celebration, sponsored by Rettie & Co and Gullane Area Community Council, is held between 11am and 7pm.

Ruthanne Baxter, one of the organisers, told the Courier: “Last September, Aberlady Church was open for guided tours.

“The people who went were very interested but there was very few of them.

“Afterwards, I said we would have had more people come to the church if there was more going on [in the village].

So we got in touch with the school and they were delighted to get involved in this project.

“Because this is the Year of Young People, we’ve had a few young people involved too.

“We also have two young people from the festival management degree at Queen Margaret University helping out. In total there’s probably a core of eight people working on it.”

Ruthanne, a museums services manager at the University of Edinburgh, said they expected a turnout of up to 400 people.

She added: “If it goes well we would most certainly do it again next year.”

Having gone to church in Aberlady for the past two years, Ruthanne explained where the idea came from.

She said: “I’m a heritage professional: I live, eat and breathe this kind of thing.

“I’m from a very rural part of Ireland. I love these rural heritage sites, so that’s what motivated me and inspired me to do this.”

There will be a walking tour of the village as well as a guided tour of the church, which will be held on the hour and on the half hour from 11am with the last guided tour at 3.30pm.

The tours will be led by Ian Malcolm, of Aberlady Historical Society.

There will be multiple talks throughout the day, held in room one at the primary school, hosted by Hugh Dan MacLennan, Dr Susan Buckham, Hamish Reid and Sarah Dunnigan, covering an array of topics from football to Sir Walter Scott.

Meanwhile, drop-ins and workshops will be taking place in a second room at the school.

From noon to 1.30pm, there will be an example of school tests throughout the decades, followed at 2pm by an exploration of Robert Louis Stevenson stories.

At 3.15pm, there is a chance to design your family’s coat of arms and, finally, at 4pm, Andy Heald will provide an overview of the Aberlady Angles project.

There will also be wartime-era workshops running from noon to 4pm in the village hall.

Kicking off with a military ancestry workshop, Gillian Chapman will present an exhibition on heavy horses before a swing dance session at 3pm.

Finally at 4pm, young heritage costume company ‘Mesdame de l’histoire’ will pop in with a photobooth, if you fancy seeing what you would have looked like in wartime garb.

The Ducks Inn plays host to the event’s evening dinner party at 7pm.

John Paul McLachlan, the venue’s head chef, joining forces with ‘Mesdame de l’histoire’ to create a magnificent meal from the Georgian era.

Starting with ‘Regency White Soup’, the main course is ‘Roasted Whole Mini Chickens in Grul’, followed by a dessert of ‘Whim Wham’, with Alastair Hardie playing fiddle and Eilidh Murray singing Burns songs.

To book a table, call Ducks Inn on 01875 870682 and to book a place at any of the events email aberladyall eras@gmail.com