twice within recent years the building has had to be enlarged;
and again the great complaint is the want of room.
The playground in connection with the school is at least second
to none in the county; and all the teaching being done on
the ground floor gives the school one great advantage over
many others. Indeed, so highly satisfactory are its equipments
all over, that His Majesty's Inspector of Schools some time
ago recommended Newbattle School Board to examine the plan
of Prestonpans school with a view to constructing one of theirs
on a similar system.
The teaching staff at present is: —Mr James Wallace, headmaster;
Mr Adam Prentice, M. A., classical master; Mr William White,
first assistant; and Miss Jessie M'Walter, mistress of the
infant department. Other certificated teachers: —Misses Hunter,
Massie, Crighton, Wells, and M. Hunter. Besides these, there
is a large staff of ex-pupil and pupil teachers connected
with the school.
Among those who had a successful career at school, and have
since distinguished themselves, may be mentioned: —Dr George
Mathieson, Doune, Perthshire; Dr Andrew Wallace, Coldstream,
Berwickshire; Mr John Hunter, M. A., Crosshouse, Ayrshire;
Mr William Borland, M. A., Perth Academy; Mr J. G. Wallace,
Dalziel High School, Motherwell; Messrs John W. Wood, John
M'Cairn, Joseph M. Hunter, and others too numerous to mention.
MARKET GARDENING—MR J. B. TAYLOR.
Next to the mining trade, the great industry of the parish
is undoubtedly " market gardening. " Indeed, during
certain months of the year, in so far as railway traffic is
concerned, the latter for some years past has put the former
somewhat in the shade.
In Prestonpans proper there are some five firms engaged in
this industry. Of these, to Mr J. B. Taylor, though his headquarters
are localised at Scion West Mains, we assign, and not without
good reason, the preference of first mention in these notes.
A Mr John Taylor, granduncle to Mr J. B. Taylor, flourished
in Prestonpans about the beginning of the departed century.
He was recognised as one of the foremost landscape gardeners
of his day, and to him, we understand, belongs the honour
of having laid out not only most of the old orchards in the
village, but many other large gardens in the neighbourhood.
This landscape gardener, while yet comparatively young, set
out for Ceylon, where he became a tea planter, and had a most
successful career. The family, though successful in the farming
line, have never, we believe, throughout all these years ceased
to keep up their market gardening connection with Prestonpans.
Besides other lands in the village, Mr Taylor cultivates two
fields in connection with Watson's Trust.
MR W. SIBBALD.
The name of Sibbald in connection with this industry in the
parish is now at least half a century old. The father, we
believe, hailed from the Longniddry district. Mr William,
assisted by his brother Thomas, has been long at the head
of affairs. He has, besides the Glebe, a good slice of Schaw's
Trust lands under cultivation, and adheres rigidly to market
gardening.
MESSRS INGLIS.
This family have for a long period been known to the trade
here, and of late have been extending their boundaries to
such an extent that we believe they now have more acreage
under cultivation in this line than any other firm in the
village. Like the Sibbalds, they adhere very firmly to their
own line of business.
MESSRS BELFIELD.
This firm has been long and very widely known in other and
very dissimilar branches of business to market gardening,
and yet success in every branch continues to follow them all
along the route.
MR MEEK.
We do not set Mr Meek last on the list because we think he
does not deserve a foremost place, quite the opposite; for
independently of his success as a market gardener, not only
does he own a feu and dwelling-house bearing the name of the
original hamlet, but strange to say, he happens to be the
only successor in the earliest business we have any authentic
information of being established in the village—the manufacture
of salt.
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