Environment: What you call junk we call treasure

Published on Wednesday 1 September 2010 12:09

THE slogan on the doors to Sam Burns' Prestonpans yard sums up perfectly what lies on the one and half-acre site beyond.

"From a needle to an anchor," it declares.

And as John Burns is happy to point out, there is indeed an anchor, rusty and its days at sea long gone, propped up against a wall, tucked behind some bits and pieces, opposite a table crammed with dishes and plates, nearby some old whisky barrels.

The needle? Well, finding that on the site where intricately-carved antique wardrobes share space with dusty portable televisions, where sofas and chairs lie one on top of the other, sinks, baths, mirrors, lamps and just about every bit of bric-a-brac possible is piled high, might just be bordering on the impossible.

John, 53, and his brother Gordon, 49, proudly survey what was originally their grandfather Sam's yard and insist they know exactly where everything is.

If that needle needed to be found, no doubt they'd track it down, possibly lurking somewhere behind the James Bond framed poster, the Eighties' bamboo shelf unit, the brass bird cage and the kitchen stools, next to the fridge freezer, the teapot and the Seventies' coffee table.

"Can't get enough of those," says Gordon. "Retro, everyone wants that just now. Goes really quickly."

The yard on the outskirts of Prestonpans is a recycling paradise. It's where, if you can be bothered to look and have the imagination to do anything about it, someone else's old piece of unwanted "junk" can be transformed into your living room "talking point".

"People come to buy things which they can do up themselves," explains Gordon. "They want something they can't find anywhere else. Things that are a bit different from what they can buy anywhere else.

"And some people want things as they are - some of our most regular customers are people from theatre and film companies looking for props.

"We don't throw anything out," he adds. "We'll recycle the glass and metal on items we can't really sell, but then you never know what people are looking to buy."

For 63 years the yard has been a magnet for people seeking out its curiosities.

"It was a firewood yard," says Gordon. "Our grandfather, Sam, opened it in 1947 with our dad. They took old pieces of wood from furniture which was being thrown out and used machinery to turn it into firewood.

"People would peer through the gate and say 'Don't put that chair or that table through the machines'. They'd want to buy it instead.

"There's plenty of houses in Edinburgh that started off with furniture bought here."

Today, several items inside their large barn have "sold" stickers.

Others, such as the dramatic walnut-carved dresser, nearly six-feet high, at least four across and featuring ornate cherubs and swirling patterns, is still waiting for its new owner.

"We give everything a second chance," explains John. "We do a lot of house clearances. Some people who do them just take a few items they can sell and dump the rest, but we don't.

"That's why there's everything here, from modern office furniture to antiques."

The yard's collection is nothing if not eclectic. But even the Burns brothers can be startled by what people throw their way.

"The most unusual item we've ever had?," ponders Gordon. "Suppose it had to be the coffin.

"We were clearing out an undertakers' place once and there was a spare coffin.

"We brought it here and, yes, someone bought it."

And that, says John, means they've done their job.

"It's actually nice to see things being used again - why chuck it away if it's still useful?"

&#149 Samuel Burns & Co is at Prestongrange, Prestonpans, on the B1348. For further visit www.samburns.co.uk.