Preston Cross
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Preston Cross by kim traynor as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Preston Cross
Image: © kim traynor Taken: 25 Jun 2010
Said to be the oldest mercat cross in Scotland still on its original site. In former times the burgh, known as Salt-Preston, plied a lucrative foreign trade with the Low Countries by exporting the home-grown product of sea-salt. The abundant supply of local coal was used to evaporate the sea-water. "About six or seven miles from this city [Edinburgh] I saw and took notice of divers salt-works in poor houses erected upon the sea coast. I went into one of them, and observed iron pans eighteen foot long and nine foot broad; these larger pans and houses than those at the Sheildes. An infinite, innumerable number of salt-works here are erected upon this shore; all make salt of sea-water." -- Sir William Brereton, 1635
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Image Location
Latitude
55.954918
Longitude
-2.971771