Author : Bernard Byrom
ISBN : 9781840338362
Cover : paperback
Price : £10.95

These two East Lothian coastal villages, south east of Edinburgh, lay on the fringes of the Lothian coalfield so always had a mix of miners and fisherfolk. As they grew they merged into the single unit they constitute today. In typical old towns Stenlake style the book is a combination of potted history and a romp around the villages as they were in times past. Edinburgh’s modern-day trams are much discussed but the villages were served by trams from 1904 until the 1920s. Once redundant some made their way to the then-new Seton Sands Camping Ground where they were soon joined by early caravans, old railway carriages and various huts and cabins. Although Port Seton took full advantage of the burgeoning budget holiday trade, these were mostly fishing communities so the book includes photos of the harbour, fish sales and net-mending. Housing is not ignored, everything from the principal streets to Johnnie Cope’s House and the 1930s council scheme.