James Terris Turbayne was born in 1876 in Kelty.  His father Thomas had been a licensed grocer there. After learning the trade, James set up in his own grocer shop in Cowdenbeath, before moving to Lundin Links with his own family around 1920. He is recorded as applying for a new grocer's license in Lundin Links in April 1920.  In fact, James owned the entire building shown in the photograph below, comprising two shops and the house above them, named St Helen.  The Turbaynes had five children and at least a couple of them also went into the grocery trade.  Notably, eldest daughter Jeannie took on the smaller shop next to the main grocer's, running this for many years as a sweet shop. She is fondly remembered for rewarding children who sang her a song with a sweetie and for her magical Christmas window display (an illuminated Santa's sleigh, filled with sweets, pulled by reindeer with nodding heads). Jeannie died in 1974 at the age of 72.

James Turbayne had been widowed in 1946 but seems to have continued the main grocer's shop until his death in 1954 at the age of 77. In October 1954, Robert Leishman was granted a license for the grocer's, as tenant under the ownership of Mrs Agnes Croll.  The shop seems to have been known as 'Leishman's' into the 1970s but at some point a member of the Croll family began to run the business and I certainly remember it in the 1980s as 'Croll's'.  Of course, the small shop adjacent was converted into the Doctor's Surgery at some point along the way.  Today, the transformation of the main grocer's shop into a residential dwelling is complete.

After the closure of the railway line through Lundin Links and Lower Largo in 1965, there was perhaps a period when hope remained that the line might re-open or even just be used occasionally by enthusiasts.  However, by early 1970, the closure must have felt very much permanent when further dismantling of the old railway infrastructure took place. February of that year saw the removal of the bridge over the line where Crescent Road meets Drummochy Road.  This work and the associated realignment of the road was welcomed from a safety point of view, as the corner, shown in the photograph before the change, was a bad one.  As a result of the work, the curve of the road would become gentler and pavements would be created on both sides of the road (see below).

The above advert, dating from around 1930, is for the Upper Largo-based Joinery business run by Agnew Turnbull Broomfield.  The business was begun in the early 1870s by Agnew's father, Peter.  As a young man, Peter Broomfield had been one of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War, having enlisted in the famous cavalry regiment in his teens. He was wounded in the campaign and was invalided home.  He became a joiner - initially in Edinburgh - before moving to Largo, where he grew a substantial business. A notable piece of work was the joinery work on the Simpson Institute in Upper Largo, which was opened in 1891.

Agnew took over the business after his father passed away in 1898.   The Broomfields lived on South Feus and the joinery workshop was just around the corner on the main road (to the right of the Hotel in the centre of the photograph below). Many a home around Largo and Lundin Links will have had some input from the Broomfield business - see the small advert for bungalows in Lundin Links as an example.  


The Broomfields were active members of their local community with involvement in activities such as the Largo Curling Club, the SWRI and the Largo and Newburn Horticultural Society. Agnew Broomfield passed away in 1965 at the age of 89. 
The joiner's workshop is still in use today.

The previous post covered Mrs Davie and her Lower Largo shop.  Her annual sale - held early in the year - must have been greatly anticipated as everything was discounted.  The above advert dates from 1926.  A similar advert in 1923 stated that "sports coats, jumpers, blouses, underclothing, hosiery, etc" would be on sale from 27th January for 14 days. 

Meanwhile in Lundin Links, also in 1923, Miss Kydd was also holding a sale at her "showroom" at 'Panelliston', Links Road.  Clearly targeting a similar audience to Mrs Davie, she specified that "costumes, winter and wrap coats, skirts, dresses, jumpers, blouses, hats, sports wear, hosiery, etc" would be on sale along with "Spirella corsets, brassieres, etc". To further draw in the customers, Miss Kydd's advert ended with the tag-line: "London Goods, Prices Moderate".

'Mrs Davie' was a shop on Lower Largo's Main Street - originally a Ladies' and Children's Outfitter run by Mrs Margaret Davie (nee Ross). She seems to have come to Largo around 1910, following a divorce, and opened a shop soon afterwards.  The above advert from c1930 shows that, in addition to clothing, the shop stocked sewing and knitting supplies as well as jewellery and 'fancy goods'. "Fairistych" was a brand of templates or stencils for sewing designs onto clothing, tablecloths, napkins, etc.

Mrs Davie's shop was located on the south (seaward) side of the Main Street, opposite St. David's Church.  It is the cream coloured building in the centre of the photograph below to the right of the twist in the road.  The shop was at ground level, while Mrs Davie lived above the shop in a home named 'Comely Bank'.  Her shop was one in a row of three shops at the time - Scott's grocer and the Co-op being on the ground floors of the building next door (seen closer to the camera below). The business retained the name 'Mrs Davie' after the retirement and death of Margaret Davie (who passed away in 1950 at the age of 80).  Up until 1951, the shop was run by a Mrs Bessie Haile (nee Ross -possibly a relative) as a 'Milliner and Ladies' Outfitter'.  If you remember this shop or know when it finally closed, please comment.  

Having been run by Mary Grieve for over 30 years, the Cottage Tearoom entered a new era, during the 1950s. Increased car ownership brought visitors from further afield along the busy Largo Road and the tearoom thrived.  This small advert dates from 1961. The tearoom was open all day.  A speciality was the home-baking and if you were a regular customer, special rates were on offer!

High Teas were another consistent part of the tea room's menu throughout its latter years.  Customers would have their choice of main course (steak pie, fish and chips, lasagne, etc) served with bread and butter and a pot of tea, and followed with a cake stand full of scones, pancakes and other home baking.  Weekends were busy but the most hectic day of the year was Mothers' Day, when the traditional food on offer proved to be extremely popular!  I also recall many a golfer popping in for a coffee and bacon roll on their way to or from a game.  When the Open Golf was being hosted at St Andrews, the odd competitor might come in and leave a generous tip!  If you have memories of the Cottage Tearoom which you would like to share - please add a comment.

A visitor to this blog has contacted me for information about a house once named 'Midfield' on Crescent Road, Lundin Links.  While I can rule out many of the houses on Crescent Road, I cannot precisely pinpoint which house this is or was. If any reader knows which Crescent Road house was once known as 'Midfield' please get in touch - either by adding a comment to this post or by clicking the 'contact' option on the side menu.  The grandparents of the lady looking for this information resided at 'Midfield' for a spell during the early 1940s.  Their names were Johannes and Isobel Poelman.  If anyone is familiar with these names, with the house 'Midfield', or simply has some information regarding Lundin Links in the early 1940s, which might help to built a picture of life in the village during that period, please do get in touch.

The Cottage Tea Rooms were situated on Largo Road, Lundin Links for many decades, finally closing just a few years ago and reverting to residential use.  The cottage probably dates to the early-mid 19th century and is part of a terrace of three cottages (see photograph below - the tearoom was in the cream coloured building at far end of row, just left of centre). It seems likely that these cottages were originally built by the landowner as homes for either weavers or farm or mill workers.  When the cottage was first converted into a business is unclear.  However, it seems likely that it was already in use as a shop and tearoom when it was purchased by Mary Grieve in 1920.  

This entry from the 1939 MacDonald's Directory and Gazeteer lists the village's two tearooms.  The Cottage Tea Rooms are described as providing "dainty service" and being "quiet and homely".  That may have changed somewhat during the Second World War when the tearoom was frequented by the Polish paratroopers who were training down the road at Largo House.  During wartime the tearoom became a popular meeting place for younger people.

Back in 1926, the January sales were on in Lundin Links and ladies would have been flocking to Mrs Gulland's where all ladies' wear was on sale for three weeks.  This draper's shop had been on Leven Road for some time.  James Gulland was the original proprietor but when he died in 1914, his wife Emma took over the business.  Next door to the ladieswear shop, Mrs Gulland's daughter, Miss Louisa May Gulland, opened 'The Lundie Tearooms'.  Louisa died in 1944 at the age of 41 and was described as a 'confectioner' at the time of her death.  

This view from Lower Largo Pier, looking towards Drummochy provides good detail on the individual houses on that side of the Keil Burn.  The houses in the elevated position in the top left are those at the west end of Woodlands Road. Set beneath them are Bankton Cottage (the dark whinstone house) and Coventry Cottage (once occupied by the Williamsons).  

The group of three houses in the centre of the image are, from left to right, Bellevue, Gullane View and Drummochy House. Behind the three-storey Drummochy House, and just beyond the viaduct, are the rooftops of Burnbrae Terrace. The house framed by the viaduct's archway is Keilside Cottage.  It looks like there's a person making their way along the railway line right in the centre of the shot.  This was common practice in the past for people living just over the burn from Largo Station.