Sir Walter Scott

At the age of 8, Walter Scott, who would go onto become the famous novelist and antiquarian, was sent to Prestonpans in the hope that sea bathing would help improve his health. The tales of the Battle of Prestonpans he probably heard while in the town would inspire a dramatic episode in his novel, Waverley (1814).

Scott’s visit is commemorated by a plaque on the High Street and in a mural painted by Tom Ewing on the aptly named Sir Walter Scott Pend.