Skateraw (East Lothian)
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Skateraw is a small settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, centred on the Georgian farmhouse of Skateraw House and Skateraw Farm. It was formerly the site of a World War I airfield.
Skateraw has a small sandy, crescent-shaped beach sheltered within Skateraw harbour, although the skyline is rather dominated by the large Torness nuclear power station which sits at the eastern end of the harbour. Part of the John Muir Way runs along a walkway along the seawall protecting the power station.[1] There is a car park and public toilets near the beach which are open from May to September.[2]
Skateraw House
Skateraw house is a B listed 6 bedroom Georgian farmhouse.[3] Robert Burns mentions visiting Skateraw House in his Border Journals, albeit the current house post dates his visit.[4]
World War I Airfield and the war memorial
The area was home to a military aerodrome during the First World War, this was manned by No.77 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps, later the Royal Air Force, which operated Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 and B.E.12 aeroplanes. The airfield opened in 1917 and closed in 1919.[5] There is a commentating plaque on the site which was unveiled there on 11 November 2018.[6]
In the 1930s, the minister of the Canongate church in Edinburgh, Reverend Ronald Selby Wright, ran a club for the poor boys living in the parish. He frequently took them camping at Skateraw. A cross near the ruins at Skateraw is a memorial to six of these boys who were killed in World War II.[7]
