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

25 years ago

A RECORD-BREAKING flowerbed was making headlines in the East Lothian Courier on August 6, 1999.

A mammoth flower bed in the grounds of Dirleton Castle has made it into the Guinness Book of Records thanks to the work of dedicated gardener Peter Burns.

Mr Burns, a district steward with Historic Scotland, started work at Dirleton Castle as a gardener 34 years ago.

He has tended the flowers and plants there ever since and it was his idea to make a bid for the record for the longest herbaceous border in the world.

By joining and planting up a division between two existing borders, Mr Burns created a 215 metre-long U-shaped bed which boasts more than 30 different plant varieties – from roses, dahlias and irises to chrysanthemums and cultivated species, some of which have been there for almost 70 years.

50 years ago

GIGANTIC thistles were the subject of an article in the East Lothian Courier on August 8, 1974.

Growing monster-size thistles seems to be popular in East Lothian.

Last week the Courier reported that Mr Ian McEwan of Letham Holdings had grown a ten-foot high thistle and this week we have news of two other giant Scottish emblems.

They were planted by Mr Norman D. H. Murphy of Rookwood, Easter Pencaitland, and they have now grown to a height of nine feet.

The thistles are the giants of half-a-dozen six-inch seedlings planted by Mr Murphy at the end of last year.

All six seedlings grew but three of them were blown down by the wind earlier this year.

Apart from the height of the two nine-foot thistles, Mr Murphy is reasonably sure of only one other statistic and that is “each one is covered with a million needle-sharp spines up to an inch long”.

100 years ago

A HEROIC rescue of two brothers from Dunbar’s harbour, was reported by The Haddingtonshire Courier on August 8, 1924.

Two brothers, named Lillie, residing at Dunbar on holiday, had a narrow escape from drowning.

They were bathing on the sands, and got into difficulties, but succeeded in reaching a higher level. With the incoming tide, they were again placed in jeopardy, when Lance-Corporal Sutherland and Private Bannar, of the Lothians and Border Armoured Car Corps, proceeded to the scene, swimming out to and bringing the brothers safely ashore.

The attention of the soldiers was first attracted by cries for assistance from Mr Andrew Laidlaw, 107 Dumbiedykes Road, Edinburgh, who was on a visit to Dunbar.