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New look and sound for East Lothian’s Flag Heritage Centre

The story of the Saltire is to be told in seven languages at the birthplace of Scotland’s national flag. A major upgrade of the Flag Heritage Centre in Athelstaneford now includes five foreign language options for visitors as well as English and Gaelic. £30,000 has been spent over the winter installing a new sound system and updating and overhauling the visual presentation.

The centre was established in 1997 based at a 15th century doo’cot behind Athelstaneford Parish Church to tell the story of the origins of the Saltire. Tradition has it that a white Saltire appeared against a blue sky, high above a battle fought near this spot in 832AD, and inspired the Scots to victory.

The convener of the organisation that runs the centre, David Williamson of the Scottish Flag Trust said: “The Flag Heritage Centre in Athelstaneford is one of East Lothian’s “hidden jewels”, and the Trustees are hopeful that this upgrade will help to attract many more visitors to the site, not only from overseas, but also from within the Lothians. Visits by schools will also be encouraged. The Trust is grateful to Viridor and to Tyne Esk LEADER for their support.” Top up funding was provided by East Lothian Council and the St Andrew’s Society.

The work took twelve weeks to complete and was carried out by the Edinburgh based firm of AVC, a division of Electrosonic Ltd. After 12 years of operation the old audio-visual system was beginning to show signs of wear. Other elements also required renewal, including the high-level screens within the doo’cot which are integral to the dramatic climax of the presentation.

Mr Williamson said: “The centre attracts visitors from all over the world and we wanted to be able to offer them the story of the Saltire in as many languages as possible. “So now in addition to English the story can be heard in Gaelic, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Polish.”

Saltires to Cross the Atlantic

THE SCOTTISH FLAG TRUST JOINS FORCES WITH THE CLAN CAMPBELL SOCIETY TO PROMOTE ATHELSTANEFORD-FLOWN SALTIRES IN NORTH AMERICA

Visual: Trust Custodian Charlie Blair prepares to hoist another flag next to the Saltire Memorial in Athelstaneford.

Highlighted Quotation: “We know from the Athelstaneford visitors book that American visitors of Scottish descent are enthralled to learn of the historic origins of the Saltire”.

The Scottish Flag Trust, which was established by the St Andrew Society in 1984, has recently announced the launch of a joint flag initiative with the Clan Campbell Society of North America (CCSNA).

There are a great number of Scottish Societies in North America, such as CCSNA, whose many thousands of members take enormous pride in their Scottish heritage. This is especially manifested at the well established Highland Games circuit across the continent, which allows members of these Societies to participate each summer in traditional Scottish events, and to parade with pipe bands and fly the St Andrew’s Cross.

National flags are of course held in high regard in North America, with for example the Stars and Stripes widely flown in all US public buildings and schools, and flags that have been specifically flown at the Capitol in Washington are particularly sought after by patriotic Americans.

In 2006, CCSNA approached the Flag Trust to explore the possibilities of similarly promoting in North America Saltires that had been flown at Athelstaneford – birthplace of Scotland’s national flag. This proposal was welcomed by the Trust and the Society.

The first batch of 20 Athelstaneford-flown Saltires was dispatched to the US to arrive in time for Tartan Day – 6 April 2007 – which commemorates the Declaration of Arbroath. Each of the flags had been hoisted and flown briefly at the main flagpole attached to the Saltire Memorial in Athelstaneford Churchyard at the end of March, and had a special logo sewn onto the flag’s hoist. There was also a signed certificate confirming the date on which the flag had been flown. The Saltires are to the proper dimensions of 5ft x 4ft as endorsed in the Scottish Flag Code, as this is considered to be the authentic size, compared to the 6ft x 3ft size which derives from naval use.

Trust Chairman David Williamson said “We know from the Flag Heritage Centre visitors book that Athelstaneford is much visited each year by Americans and Canadians of Scottish descent, and the entries indicate how enthralled they are to learn of the historic origins of the Saltire. We are delighted therefore to work with CCSNA on this joint promotion, as it allows the Trust to further raise the profile of Scotland and its national flag in North America”.

Anyone interested in an Athelstaneford-flown Saltire should contact the Scottish Flag Trust, PO Box 84, Edinburgh EH3 8LG.