Down by the Harbour

- June 25, 2015

Dunbar boasts not one but two harbours - Victoria and Cromwell. Cromwell Harbour predates the newer Victoria Harbour by 300 years and hasn't changed much in the past 500 years since it was built. Prior to the building of Cromwell Harbour Dunbar was served by the natural harbour at Belhaven Bay.

When I am visiting the harbour I tend to favour the older Cromwell Harbour because visitors gravitate towards the Victoria Harbour because of the Castle, the Battery and the parking bays along the harbour front. Cromwell is quieter and therefore is my favourite of the two.

Cromwell is the oldest and was built in the 16th century just east of Dunbar Castle. Cromwell Harbour has hardly changed since that time. It became known as the Cromwell Harbour because in 1650, Cromwell repaired the east pier to make it safe for English ships supplying his army.

Two cannons are embedded in the quay serving as bollards for securing boats. Another feature is the partial remains of a stone stair known as Johnny Cope’s Stair, named after the unfortunate general who landed with his army at Dunbar in 1745 to engage Prince Charles Edward Stuart – Bonnie Prince Charlie – at Prestonpans and was ignominiously defeated there.

An impressive feature at the Old Harbour is the Fishermen’s Monument or Barometer; erected in 1856 by a local benefactor, it is dedicated to the local fishermen for their contribution to the wealth of the town.

The Old Harbour was protected by a half-moon battery built in 1781-82 during the American War of Independence, when the harbour was attacked by John Paul Jones, an expatriate Scot who founded the American Navy. Today, the battery affords panoramic views of the Firth of Forth.

Text from the Welcome to Dunbar website.