B1361
B1361 | ||||
Location Map ( geo) | ||||
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From: | Wallyford (NT371726) | |||
To: | Tranent(N) (NT405743) | |||
Via: | Prestonpans | |||
Distance: | 2.7 miles (4.3 km) | |||
Meets: | A199, A6094, B1349, A198, B6371 | |||
Former Number(s): | A198 | |||
Highway Authorities | ||||
Traditional Counties | ||||
Route outline (key) | ||||
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For the original B1361 in Lincolnshire, see B1361 (Immingham - Grimsby).
For the later B1361 also in Lincolnshire, see B1361 (Caistor - Stallingborough).
The B1361 passes through the southern fringes of Prestonpans in East Lothian.
The route starts on the east edge of Wallyford, meeting the A199 and A6094 at the Wallyford Toll roundabout which sees the East Coast Mainline railway passing underneath. It sets off northeast, crossing a couple of fields before it enters the small town of Prestonpans. Here it runs along the southern boundary of the Royal Musselburgh Golf Club, with modern housing opposite. Beyond the golf course, a roundabout is crossed and then a large estate of older housing lies on the left, but neither these, nor the newer housing faces directly onto the main road, which has few junctions of any sort. As the route sweeps round to the right, a left fork, Preston Road, was once a spur of the B1349. So far the route has passed through a mainly residential area, but now a small industrial site lies off to the right, opposite an old Doocot set in a small park. A couple more sweeping bends lie either side of a junction with the B1349 which heads north and gives access to the town centre.
A small group of shops lies off to the right, near Prestonpans railway station, as the route curves onto Gardiner Terrace, which finally has houses facing directly onto the road. On the opposite side is the station car park, after which the road remains parallel to the East Coast Mainline for the remainder of its route. Houses continue on the left to the edge of town, where a bridge over the railway gives access to the Meadowmill Sports Centre playing fields. The route continues ahead and soon terminates on a roundabout where it meets the A198 and B6371. The fields around the junction were the site of the Battle of Prestonpans in September 1745, which preceded the long and ultimately abandoned march south for the Jacobite Army.
History
The route was numbered as the western end of the A198 in 1922, and remained so for many years. However, it was downgraded and given its present number following construction of the A1 Tranent bypass in1986, which saw the A198 re-routed to meet the new dual carriageway at Tranent. Apart from some minor adjustments to the junctions near Prestonpans Station, and the construction of many more houses, the route seems little changed from when it was the A198.