John More Dall, pictured above, was born in 1863 in Elie to blacksmith John Dall and his wife Agnes More. He grew up at the smithy on the back dykes at Elie, but by the 1881 census John was living on the High Street with his maternal grandmother and two older sisters, while employed as a 'Law Clerk (apprentice)'. His employment was in the offices of William Robinson Ketchen (pictured below from the 1902 Fife News Illustrated Almanac). Ketchen was a banker and solicitor who had come to Elie in 1857 to act as National Bank agent for the branches at Elie and Largo. Ketchen was also prominent in public life, being instrumental in forming Elie Golf Club and acting as Provost of Elie for six years. Ketchen provided John More Dall with a firm grounding in both law and banking.

Dall also introduced a Savings Bank for Largo and District. This was overseen by a group of directors drawn from the local community and was available to locals at set times each week at locations across the three villages - the Bank in Upper Largo, the Baptist Church Session House in Lower Largo and the Temperance Hall in Lundin Links. The directors included local clergymen, builders and other prominent men who were active in the public sphere. This included Inspector of the Poor Robert Black and Largo Estate gardener Robert Smith.

In 1909, John remarried, to Margaret Graham. They went on to have four children together - Mary (b. 1907), John (b. 1909), Helen (b. 1913, d. 1914) and Christina (b.1916, d. 1917). The 1911 census records the family at Bank House. The household comprised, John, his wife Margaret, his three eldest daughters, two younger children (aged 4 and 1) and a servant. A decade later, the couple were in the same home together with four children and servant. John was then aged 57 and still described as a 'bank agent' with National Bank of Scotland Limited.

During his years in Largo, John became an active member of Largo Curling Club, Largo Bowling Club and Lundin Golf Club. He wrote the history of Largo Curling Club when he was club secretary there. He was joint secretary and treasurer of Lundin Golf Club for fourteen years. The 15 July 1924 Leven Advertiser told of how "Mr's Dall's minute book was as neatly kept as his cash and other books, and he grudged no time in the performance of the duties which came under the combined offices".

​It wasn't until the 1920s that a Homing Club was established in the Lundin Links and Largo area. Beginning with a membership of eight, the club grew to 18 flying members by 1928. Above is an example of an early race, starting at Selby in North Yorkshire and covering 186 miles. The best performers were listed in the 13 September Leven Advertiser. At the club's annual dinner in October 1928, in the Lundin Links Hotel, president John Donaldson anticipated a further growth in membership over the year ahead. The Club was part of the East Fife Homing Federation and had close ties to nearby Leven Homing Club.

In 1928, the Club had two silver cups that were competed for - donated by Commander Cochrane, M.P. for East Fife and Colonel Noel Edward Baxter of Gilson House. Other prizes had been given to the club by Thomas Hogg of the Lundin Links Hotel, Sydney Goodman fruiterer, James Turbayne the grocer, John Guthrie the fishmonger, Andrew Hogg the chemist, William Gardner and Thomas Ballingall. ​Below is an example of a race from the 1929 season, the results of which appeared in the 8 May 1929 Leven Advertiser. On this occasion, 94 birds were released at Berwick-on-Tweed, in a season where there were three trophies and sixteen special prizes on offer. 

​The report on the 1929 annual supper and presentation appeared in the 19 November 1929 Leven Advertiser above. Taking place in the Crusoe Hotel, the president David Gatherum reviewed the year and David Strathearn Abernethy of Largo Roses presented the trophies and prizes. The following year - 1930 - included a race from Morpeth. Prizes had been donated by local businesses as usual, including from Johnston Wright Swan of the Victoria Boarding House, Andrew Somerville the grocer and John Young, newsagent (see 26 August 1930 Leven Advertiser below). 
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The club continued to thrive into the 1930s as the upbeat piece from the 23 April 1935 Leven Advertiser below advises. The large number of members were led by commercial traveller Peter Rosie, of South Feus Upper Largo and joiner John Donaldson. Together the pair kept "things going with a swing".

The duo of Rosie and Donaldson kept the club going into 1940, when the club sent birds to Penrith in May for a race. However, the sudden death of Orkney-born Peter Rosie in September 1940 saw the club fade from existence. The obituary from the Dundee Courier of 27 September tells us that Rosie had risen to be president of the East Fife Homing Federation. John Donaldson died in 1951.

In 1952 the notice below appeared in the Leven Mail on 19 March. A group of pigeon fanciers had decided to re-establish a Homing Club. However, there was little mention of the club subsequently in the local press. With active homing clubs covering both Levenmouth and the East Neuk during the 1950s and 1960s, perhaps there was little call for a separate Largo club. If you know more about the Lundin Homing Club, please leave a comment.

The pair of 'then and now' images above compare the Upper Largo Hotel (then named Largo Hotel) of circa 1970 with the hotel as it looks in more recent times. The hotel was acquired in the summer of 1969 by Sylvia and Bob Harbert, who went on to refurbish the establishment and add the stone extension. The hotel comprised rooms, a cocktail bar, a lounge bar and a restaurant, which gained a reputation for its good food. As the Harbert's son Ashley points out, this was the heyday of prawn cocktail, sirloin steak and Black Forest gateau, accompanied by a bottle of Liebfraumilch. That said, it was the haddock and chips that proved especially popular.

The images above are from a promotional flyer, highlighting the key features of the hotel, which the Harberts turned into a thriving business. Additional bedrooms were added in 1972. Note the hotel restaurant had a wine list on each table. The pictures on the restaurant walls showcased other establishments that the Harberts had run over the years, including the Clayhall Tavern in Bow, London and the Tudor Rose in Hemel Hempstead. 
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Bob and Sylvia can be seen standing proudly behind the bar in the photograph below. Notice the last orders bell on the left and the glass fishing floats hanging above the bar. If you remember the Harberts and the hotel during this era, please leave a comment. The pair moved on in 1974, to build a new hotel in Blairgowrie. They had a painting of the Largo Hotel made, which went on to grace the walls of their later establishments.

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Margaret MacDougall Nicoll was born in Largo in 1882, the second child of Kirkton schoolmaster Thomas Nicoll. and his wife Annie Morgan. The couple had five children - William (1880), Margaret (1882), Robert (1886), Mary (1888) and Annie (1892). Margaret and her siblings attended Kirkton of Largo Primary School, where their father was master for 35 years.

The above school group photograph dates to circa 1900 and features Thomas Nicoll and Mary, younger sister of Margaret. There are also some other Nicolls from another family. This photo appeared in the 25 May 1966 Fife Mail. At the time this photograph was taken Margaret would have moved on to Waid Academy in Anstruther, where she excelled in her studies and qualified for a Queen's Scholarship to study at St Andrews University (see 4 August 1899 East of Fife Record piece below). 

Margaret continued her career and by the 1921 census, she was living alone at Greycot (pictured above) on Upper Largo's Main Street, and was recorded as a 'School Teacher'. Subsequently she lived at Viewfield on South Feus (pictured in the centre of the image below) with her sister Annie (who was also a teacher) and it was there that she passed away on 10 June 1962 aged 79 years. Margaret had a long association with St David's Church in Lower Largo, and had been Treasurer there as well as honorary president of the Women's Guild. Below is the notice of her memorial service held 17 June 1962. Two years later, the recast bell of St David's Church was dedicated to her memory. 

Above is an image of Drum Park, as originally built in 1909, before a second phase was added to the left hand side. The dwelling on the extreme right of the photograph is number one and was originally named Orion. The name was chosen because its original inhabitant was an astronomer, named William Ritchie. 

Ritchie was born in 1848 in the parish of Borthwick, Midlothian to the farmer of Currie Mains, Walter Ritchie, and his wife Janet Hogg. It was there that William was recorded in censuses of 1851 and 1861 as a child. By 1871, he was employed as a teacher in Glenbuchat, Aberdeenshire and lodging with a local farmer there. Around 1876 he took up a job at George Watson's College in Edinburgh, where he would go on to teach for 23 years, mainly in Mathematics and Science. He lived in Newington and later in Morningside. In 1883 was a founding member of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society. He also became a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

William's enthusiasm for astronomy led to a career shift in 1899, when he was appointed Assistant Astronomer to William Peck at the City Observatory, Calton Hill, Edinburgh. The Observatory is pictured above as it looked at the time, from the Canmore Collection (http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1120484). An example of his work in the role is the piece below from the Edinburgh Evening News of 14 November 1899 on the topic of the impending Leonids Meteor Shower.
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After eight years at the Observatory, William's health necessitated his retirement, as the article below from the 15 January 1907 Edinburgh Evening News tells us. Initially he planned to relocate to the South of England for the good of his health, however, before long he had settled in Lower Largo in the newly completed Drum Lodge Park.

Drum Lodge Park, was a venture of Walter Horne, Largo builder and developer. Built in two stages, the first phase was constructed in 1909 and the most easterly dwelling would become the home of William Ritchie. Largo had long been a popular destination for the well-to-do of Edinburgh, escaping the city for fresh sea air. Naming his home 'Orion', he must have had a particular fondness for this constellation. Orion can be seen in the plate below (created by Ritchie's former boss at the City Observatory, William Peck) in the top right quadrant of the Southern Hemisphere.

Known since ancient times, Orion is one of the brightest and best-known constellations in the night sky. Lying on the celestial equator, Orion dominates the evening sky from November to February. Also known as the Hunter, Orion derives from Greek mythology in which the hunter Orion is known for exceptional skill and strength. The most recognisable feature of the constellation is Orion's Belt - the line of three stars at its centre.​
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Orion was also let to summer visitors on occasion, as seen in the example above from 9 August 1911 Leven Advertiser. It is unclear whether Ritchie temporarily moved out or whether he shared the house for the summer. In the 1911 census William Ritchie occupied Orion along with a servant and a boarder. After two decades of retirement in Largo, WIlliam Ritchie died aged 80 years, on 25 March 1929 at Orion. His death was registered by friend Walter Horne, the builder of Drum Park. Ritchie was unmarried and after his death his astronomical and other scientific instruments, were auctioned off, along with his household furniture, at Orion (see notice from 4 May 1929 Scotsman below). 
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The piece above from the 26 April 1929 Dundee Courier announced that Margaret Pollock of Emsdorf Street, Lundin Links had purchased Orion. She died there in 1946, aged 90 years. The property was then sold on to a Mr W.F. Wills, before being advertised for sale again in 1953. The Welsh family, including retired postmaster Lawrence Welsh lived there for a couple of decades. It was up for sale again in 1973 - see notice below from 21 November 1973 East Fife Mail. In more recent years the property was renamed but William Ritchie, and his fascination with the heavens, has left a mark on the pages of Largo's history.

The 30 December 1924 Leven Advertiser below tells of the entertainment available at La Scala on Hogmanay exactly one century ago. The Hogmanay night event ran from 10 p.m. until 3 a.m. and featured a "terpsichorean orchestra". The word "terpsichorean" means related to dance and derives from the Greek goddess of dancing and chorus, Terpsichore. If that alone wasn't encouragement enough to attend, there were also "exquisite novelties" provided free to all.

Mr P. M. Robertson mentioned in the piece was the recently-appointed manager at the time. Peter Murray Robertson had previously run Methil's New Picture House. The advert further below from 22 July 1920 Leven Advertiser dates to his time managing the Methil venue, where he previously had John Drennan performing. Mr Robertson clearly had a good list of contacts to bring to the Lundin Links venue - from magicians, to comedians, dancers, vocalists and musicians. Personally, I would have loved to have seen the "lady pulled through a two-inch hole" act!