The Restoration of MacArthur’s Store
Progress Report August 2008

MacArthur’s Store is a 17th Century warehouse building situated on the quayside of the old Cromwell Harbour in Dunbar. For several years the Dunbar Harbour Trust had sought funding for its restoration. Eventually in December 2007 the Trust was able to start work that would see the building restored as fishermen’s stores and providing also a permanent office for the Trust and a meeting place for the Trust and other harbour users. The overall project cost will be £1.15 million. The project is being supported by grant aid from a number of agencies as follows:

 

The Dunbar Townscape Heritage Initiative	£425,000
Historic Scotland	£211,950
European Fisheries Grant (FIFG)	£224, 700
East Lothian Council	£202,000
Leader + European Programme	£28,000
Viridor Landfill Credit Scheme	£30,000

 

Note: these figures include pre-contract development work.

 

Before construction work could start in earnest, archaeologists were appointed to carry out a thorough investigation and recording of the building. Their work has revealed that the building is much older and more interesting than had previously been supposed. The first recorded mention of the store dates from about 1720 but the building incorporates a much earlier store probably dating back to the mid 17th Century. At this time the building was a single bay width and was later doubled in width. The archaeologists have discovered that the timber columns supporting the floors throughout the building were salvaged from a single merchant ship of the 17th century. Most of these columns will be retained in the restoration scheme.

 

Also discovered was a complete brick paved floor under a later timber floor. The brick paving will be retained as the finished surface in the two stores proposed on the south side of the ground floor. On the north side where the office and meeting space are to be located, the brick paving will be protected and covered with a new limecrete floor. A viewing panel showing the original floor will be incorporated into the floor of the meeting room.

 

 

11 fishermen’s stores/workshops will be created in the restoration scheme. The stores vary in size and all of them have been earmarked for fishermen currently operating from Dunbar. In addition a secure external storage area will be constructed for larger items of fishing gear. As part of the scheme the quayside will be resurfaced with a mixture of beach cobles and beach pebbles set in limecrete. Where they exist, the original flagstones of the quayside will be retained.

 

The project is currently on target for completion by mid November 2008. All the major structural work is complete and a new slate roof has been installed. About 50% of the original harling has been saved and has been overlain by several new coats of lime harling. New stones to match the original have been indented where necessary around the doors and windows.