Tim's Tales - A treasure discovered in Cockenzie House

But two years ago, Sheila Ritchie, the historian for Cockenzie House, did just that.

On that day, her kitchen was more messy than usual. On the worktop and table there lay numerous old photographic plates, about a hundred in all, and they were not in good condition. They had been wrapped in tissue but time, dust and damp had stuck them together and they were now welded in bundles.

Your kitchen sink is not the usual place you expect to make a heart-racing discovery.

But two years ago, Sheila Ritchie, the historian for Cockenzie House, did just that.

On that day, her kitchen was more messy than usual. On the worktop and table there lay numerous old photographic plates, about a hundred in all, and they were not in good condition. They had been wrapped in tissue but time, dust and damp had stuck them together and they were now welded in bundles.

The biggest bundle had 18 plates and getting them carefully unstuck was no easy task. Patience was needed.

As she carefully sprayed them and then carefully prized them apart, Sheila had no idea what the plates would reveal. All she could tell was that they were clearly very old.

They had been found under the floorboards in Cockenzie House in the 1970s by the sons of Michael Murgatroyd, who lived in the house in the 1970s.

But they were in such poor condition that the Murgatroyd boys had no idea what to do with them. So they were stored away and half-forgotten, until they were given to Sheila Ritchie two years ago.

And so she stood by her kitchen sink, hands shaking with excitement and anticipation as she raised the plates to the light. What looked back at her were people who lived in Cockenzie and Port Seton over 150 years ago. The photographic plates were an incredible portal into the past.

The photos were taken around 1850 by Sir Robert Cadell, who lived in Cockenzie House in the early and mid-19th century. The photos showed scenes of the High Street and the Shore.

But two of the photos (see old images, below) showed Cockenzie Harbour. And when Ed Bethune, a resident of Cockenzie, saw them, he spotted something very exciting.

Look carefully at the main photo. You will probably notice how busy Cockenzie Harbour was then compared to now. There is a steamer in the harbour, which apparently regularly plied across the Forth to Fife. There is also a sailing ship moored by the quayside.

But look closer, on the right, just behind the man with the flat cap. Do you see it? When Ed saw it he almost fainted with excitement.

It’s a horse, pulling a wagon. Now notice the rail tracks that run across the lower part of the photo. No doubt Robert Cadell thought the most interesting things were the ships, but not for Ed.

“When I saw it I could hardly believe it,” said Ed, “because there in that photo is the waggonway that once connected the coalfields of Tranent to Cockenzie Harbour. It must be one of the earliest photos of a railway anywhere.” The second photo seems to be a family shot, with the harbour as the background. Sheila doesn’t know who the people are but they seem well to do.

But look what sits behind them. It’s an image of one of the wagons, probably emptied of coal and awaiting a horse to take it back to the Tranent coalfields.

The empty wagons were pulled by horses back up the hill, but on the way down gravity did the job. It must have been a scary but exhilarating ride down the hill, with a wagon full of coal and the brakes screeching.

The waggonway was built in 1722, to bring coal to the salt pans. It’s one of the earliest rail tracks ever. In fact, the Jacobite charge of 1745 ran over it so some Highlanders could have stubbed their toes on it as they ran towards the Redcoats!” Ed moved into Cockenzie from Edinburgh around the same time that Sheila was given the photographic plates. He is a total rail fanatic; his father lived by the railtracks in the Borders and was a true railway child. The passion was handed to his son.

So when Ed discovered that one of the country’s oldest railways once ran literally past his doorstep, and that you can still trace it even today, he couldn’t believe his luck.

“We have an archaeological treasure here; the country’s earliest railway,” he told me, “and you can still walk its route, and if you know what to look for, you can still find remains of the rail track.” Ed regularly searches for this evidence, which includes stone sleepers reused in walls. He believes passionately that this waggonway route should be preserved.

“It’s such a vital part of our heritage, it’s not a castle where rich powerful people lived, but a place where generations of people worked. It’s kind of unique,” he said.

The waggonway would have been a common sight in 1850 and so nobody thought of taking any photos of it.

It wasn’t picturesque or romantic, so later photographers ignored it.

But here, in the very early photos discovered under the floorboards of Cockenzie House, an important part of working people’s history has been captured by accident.

It seems so fitting that this remarkable house, which is a gem in itself, should hold such secrets. What isn’t a secret anymore is the beauty of their gardens and excellent quality of the coffee served in this wonderful community-run historic house!

But one question remains: why were the photos hidden under the floorboards? “We can’t say for sure,” said Sheila, “but perhaps Cadell wanted to keep them safe, but in truth we will never know for sure.” Oh, and one last thing. Look carefully at the first photo again. This time on the left of the photo, just above the stern of the steamboat; it’s Robert Cadell’s thumbprint!

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