McArthur’s Store officially unveiled

Internationally-renowned East Lothian born artist John Bellany officially unveiled the new-look McArthur’s Store on Tuesday, following its £1.2 million enhancement.

Dunbar Harbour Trust undertook the restoration of the historic harbour side venue – one of the oldest continually used fishermen’s buildings in Scotland and planned to transform the dilapidated Dunbar landmark into 11 individual fishermen’s stores, a DHT office and a meeting room for community groups.
“It’s such a pleasure to see a building finished like this as over the last few years it’s crumbled away and I feared it would go to nothing, but now it’s a finished entity and it looks wonderful,” said Mr Bellany, who’s work is heavily influenced by the sea.
“It really is a gem of a building and I’m so glad it has been done. It’s a real honour for Dunbar, as a fishing town, to have a building like this. You see these buildings are crumbling away but they are being restored and it’s great for the community and the fishermen themselves.”
Mr Bellany, who now spends much of his time in Barga, Italy, added: “When I was asked to do this I thought it was strange that a Port Seton man was asked to talk about Dunbar, but I know it inside out.
“The idea of being fishers, it’s something that goes round the coast of Scotland and anywhere I have been painting I have noticed there are similarities rather than differences, whether it’s China or Australia, it’s the same.
“It’s a pleasure to be here and when I paint, the spirit of the whole of the coast comes flooding back, and when I’m here my heart is going twice its usual pace

 

 “The restoration project was funded through the Dunbar Townscape Heritage Initiative with grant aid provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Scotland, FIFG European Fisheries Programme, East Lothian Council, Leader and European Programme funding, Viridor Credits Scotland and the Architectural Heritage Fund.
Evidence of the McArthur’s Store building – or Spott’s Girnell (granary) as it was originally known – was first recorded in 1658. Archaeological assessment revealed the southern side of the existing building incorporated a 17th-century structure at ground level.
In 1738, the building underwent major remodelling and the town council granted permission to build a stone stair at the west end. The building doubled in width and was raised to three storeys with a double gabled pan-tiled roof.
About 60 years later it was reinforced by recycled ship timbers – using a vertical propping system – which had been sourced from an 18th-century vessel.
McArthur’s double gabled pan-tiled roof was replaced in the mid to late 19th century by a single, slated, double-pitched structure with hipped ends.

 

11th July 2009