21/07/2026
230th Anniversary of the death of the Bard
A community effort in Prestonpans
In 1959 (the Bicentenary of the Birth of Robert Burns) ,The Airts' Club decided that to mark the occasion, they must do something special, and so in a joint'effort involving the Thorntree Mystic Burns Club, contributions from local businesses, traders, pubs, clubs and even schools and personal contributions, after more than three years planning, a Burns shelter (opposite The Coronation hardens) was erected, and was formally opened by Mr Sinclair Morr on the 25th January 1959.
37 years later on 21 July 1996 the year of the bi- centenary of the death of our National Poet. The commemorative cairn you see at the start of this video was unveiled, opposite the Coronation Gardens,
This venture, again a joint effort, included ourselves, the Airts club, Seton Burns Club, Castlepark Bowling Club and Tranent 25 Burns Club.
The cairn itself was constructed and generously donated by James Strang (Builders). It's interior was hollow, going down to approximately two feet below ground level. This then gave us the opportunity of placing a time capsule within the chamber. The capsule, made of stainless steel, was kindly donated by McMillan Fabrications, and contains various artefacts donated by the individual clubs. When finally placed in the cairn, liquid cement was poured in, sealing the interior completely.
A full list of contributors can be seen in the image below.
Airts Burns Club No 516 Lodge Thorntree 1038 Preston Lodge RFC Thorn Tree golf club Prestonpans & District Labour Party Prestonpans Community Council Pans Legion Seton Burns Club Castlepark Bowling Club Sam Burns Tranent 25 Burns Club Sam Burns Yard
Robert Burns World Federation Ltd. Edinburgh & District Burns Clubs Association Catching The Past
