WE TAKE a look at the stories making headlines in East Lothian 25, 50 and 100 years ago.

25 years ago...

A BOOKMAKER’S ceiling collapsed in Haddington town centre, reported the East Lothian Courier on August 14, 1998.

A ceiling collapse closed a busy bookmaker’s shop in Haddington for two days and a mother of two was left distraught after dampness and cracks appeared in her two storey home above Ladbrokes in Brown Street.

Now both are blaming work carried out on property adjoining the George Hotel and say East Lothian Council failed to enforce a building notice served on the owner of the hotel after a neighbouring property collapsed during building work.

Now an interim court order concerning further work on adjoining buildings owned by developer Mr William Hogg, of Movebasic Ltd, has been granted to Ladbrokes at Haddington Sheriff Court.

Amanda Jamieson-Wells, who has lived in the building for two and a half years, claims that water damage to her home was caused because the council’s building control did not follow up a notice served on Mr Hogg.

50 years ago...

HADDINGTON firemen were busy as fires popped up across the county, said the Courier of August 17, 1973.

A fire which broke out in a grain drier at Athelstaneford Mains on Wednesday was the cause of an early call for Haddington firemen.

One machine from Haddington and another from East Linton attended.

The farmer had, however, quickly emptied the drier of grain and fire damage was minimal.

The fire was caused when the drier overheated and ignited.

On Friday afternoon at about 5 o’clock, the Haddington firemen were called out to deal with a grass fire at Alderston Road, near Roodlands Hospital, Haddington.

It was soon put out.

A grass fire on the Garleton Hills caused problems for the Haddington firemen on Sunday afternoon because the position of the blaze made it difficult for the men to get sufficient equipment to the scene.

Within two hours, however, the blaze was extinguished and the fire appliance returned to Haddington.

and 100 years ago...

A YOUNGSTER from Haddington was profiting greatly from property in Kent, told the Haddingtonshire Courier of August 17, 1923.

A little nephew of Lady Massereene is owner of a property that must be bringing in a considerable revenue just now.

His maternal uncle, the late Marquis Conyngham, left estates in Kent to be held for the benefit of the boy, and these include the foreshore of the Westgate, the pretty seaside place that is close to Margate, and as exclusive as the bigger town is democratic.

Out of every sixpence charged for the use of the bathing boxes on the Westgate front, two pence goes to the Conyngham estate.

The mother of this lucky child, Lady Edina Ainsworth, is a sister of Lady Hersey Baird.