Prestonpans Honours what Andrew Carnegie began in 1905 with £1500

Major Library Extension Opens for Panners

More than 100 years ago the famed son of Scotland, Andrew Carnegie, donated £1500 to build the town's local library - one of the incredible tally of 3000+ across the world. On World Book Day, March 1st 2007, his great great grandson William Thompson was on hand to share in the opening ceremony for an elegant new extension - which nominally cost over 500 times as much to construct. Details of the additional services that can now be provided are given by Erica Thompson, the Town's Librarian, in the press cuttings below.

click on cuttings and images to enlarge



William Thompson's message was the enduring one. That a library is an opportunity for unrivalled individual exploration and learning as Andrew Carnegie had discovered as a young lad in his Scottish hometown. William was also personally much cheered to have been asked along to share the Opening Ceremony with local children's author and Master Chef Mary Contini rather than to support a campaign against a library closure!

Mary Contini Talked to the Youngsters and we all listened as they sang ...

Mary Contini was educated in The Pans at old St Gabriel's and recounted how she had become an author. She urged all the young people present to write, just write. They responded by singing instead, but given the time scale available writing was not practicable!

Many of Mary Contini's local friends were present and took the opportunity to prevail upon her to sign copies of her latest children's book, Diary of Olivia.



Postscript .... Colin Gordon's design wins architecture prize: well done Colin!