Prestonpans battle trust wants streets named after heroes

A battle trust wants local heroes to be honoured by street names given to a new town being built on its historic site.

The Battle of Prestonpans Trust has produced a wish list of names for the new East Lothian settlement of Blindwells, commemorating the historic figures and places from the famous Jacobite victory.

Top of its list are four local men who came from neighbouring Tranent and made their mark in Bonnie Prince Charlie’s 1745 victory.

They are:

Robert Anderson Way, to commemorate a quartermaster in the Jacobite army who guided the soldiers on a treacherous path using local knowledge;
Henderson Road, in honour of Alexander Henderson, who joined the army after acting as a guide as they passed through the town;
Davidson Road for Henry Davidson, a stonemason who fought with the Jacobites and joined the Prince’s Lifeguards after the battle;
Penston Road in honour of Robert Penston, a gardener in Tranent who also acted as a guide for the Jacobites and provided intelligence to them.

The four names are top of the trust’s wishlist for Blindwells names, alongside Riggonhead Road to mark the path the soldiers took to victory.

Additional names relating to Bonnie Prince Charlie are also suggested, such as Prince Charles Avenue, Chevalier Drive and Stuart Court.

The trust have also included literary links to the battle such as Waverley Way, for the title character of Walter Scott’s hero, and Alan Breck Gardens, marking the hero of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped.

The trust, which is hoping to have a new visitors centre in the heart of Blindwells after discussions with developers, said it hoped that the list would spark local discussion about the names of the new town’s streets.

East Lothian Council said it consulted with community councils when considering new street names.

A spokesperson said: “With regard to the development at Blindwells, we contacted Macmerry and Gladsmuir, Longniddry, and Tranent and Elphinstone Community Councils, the local councillors and the area partnerships for suggestions for street names.”

The first houses at Blindwells are due to be occupied in September this year.

Story by local democracy reporter Marie Sharp