Redburn Dairy, by Adele Conn (2005)

Tom McKinlay pictured here in the mural, ran Redburn Dairy as a young man. The dairy was situated on the corner of Redburn Road and the High Street and stretched inland to Rope Walk. The mural is situated on the spot where the dairy was.

There is not much reference material regarding Redburn Dairy thus the mural picture was copied from an old photograph that can be seen in a booklet of Prestonpans History called Prestonpans in Old Picture Postcards.

"As well as the dairy cows, hens and pigs were also kept. Ageing people still relate how, as children, they took household scraps for the pigs and were rewarded with sweets. Tom delivered milk in this multi-purpose cart. The redburn after which the road and the dairy were named, was a geographical feature. The burn is now piped and completely out of sight"

I was lucky enough to be able to trace Tom McKinlay's son - Ernest, who now resides in Sebastian in the States and he was kind enough to send me a portrait photograph of his father, which I have painted on the right.