"He that will view the county of Fife must go round the coast." So goes the quote attributed to Daniel Defoe in the 18th century.  How nice it must have been to do so by rail - a feat possible only between 1857 and 1965 on this stretch of the coast.  The Railway Magazine's November 1953 edition, ran a piece on the Fife Coast Line and described the Largo Bay section as follows...

"Beyond Leven Station, the railway passes through the residential outskirts of the town, and emerges on to the wide expanse of links bordering the shores of Largo Bay.  In clear weather, the view to the south extends across the Firth of Forth to North Berwick and the Bass Rock.  The station at Lundin Links is passed, and another mile brings the train to the high masonry viaduct of four spans over the Kiel Burn, and to Largo Station.....Largo Law, an abrupt, conical, volcanic hill, rising to almost 950ft, is a conspicuous landmark a mile or so north of the town."

Largo Station, like Lundin Links, had two main station buildings.  In the image below, the original 1857 station building is on the left (north) side of the tracks.  The newer building on the opposite (south) side was built around 1894, together with a signal box, passing loop and second platform.  This station closed in 1965.  It may be almost half a century ago but plenty people still remember Lundin Links and Largo stations well - if you do, please comment!

Back in November 1953, The Railway Magazine ran a feature on "The Fife Coast Line" which included the above photograph. Lundin Links was a single platform station, with two main station buildings.  In the photograph, the original station building is in the left foreground with the sloping roof.  Built 1857/8, this building was jointly funded by the railway company and the Standard Life Assurance Company (then owners of the Lundin Estate).  Around 50 years later, a replacement station building was built by the North British Railway adjacent to the original one, complete with ticket office and windowed waiting rooms plus a canopy over the platform.  The view above shows the golf course to the right of the railway line and the clubhouse can be seen in the distance.

Lundin Links Station lay on the Leven to Kilconquhar extension of the Leven and East of Fife Railway, which opened in 1857.  Later the line was further extended, eventually running to St Andrews. Completion of the railway round the Fife Coast was close in time to the opening of the second Tay Bridge (1887) and soon followed by the completion of the Forth Rail Bridge (1890).  These connections and the popularity of the Fife Coast for holidays made the line an important one for a while.  Lundin Links station was closed in 1965. In the next post - Largo Station.

Once a standalone village, Drummochy is now surrounded by Lundin Links to the west and Lower Largo to the east.  This small corner of Largo has a history stretching back hundreds of years and was important due to its location on an elevated piece of land adjacent to where a stream meets the sea.  The name Drummochy (or Drummochie) reflects its physical form - 'drumm' meaning ridge.  In 1837, when the farms of Blacketyside and Bankhead were advertised for sale in the Fife Herald, the description spoke of the farms being "within two miles of the shipping ports of Leven and Drummochy", showing the importance of this once busy harbour.  When the above postcard was sent in 1908, Drummochy was connected to Seatoun of Largo only by wooden footbridge.  A bridge for vehicles was not built until 1914.

The saltworks at Drummochy has been covered in a previous post, however, this advert from 1774 is a reminder of a time when the production of salt would have been vital to this area.

Victoria Road follows the same curved arrangement as its neighbour, Crescent Road (which was developed first).  Two of the earliest buildings on Victoria Road are prominent in the above postcard.  These two pairs of semi-detached villas are set out symmetrically at the junction of Victoria Road and Links Road. Featuring a fair bit of architectural detail, these buildings would have welcomed visitors making their way up towards the heart of the village from the railway station.  The villas would have been a striking contrast to the open ground which lay in front of them at this time.  Handily, these buildings are clearly dated on their external stonework - the one on the left is dated 1897 and the other 1896.  See an earlier post for a similar turn of the century view of this junction.  Now, of course, Peacehaven residential care home lies at the corner plot close to where the three men are standing.

The early Lundin Links postmark (six examples of which are shown above) was used from the opening of the first Post Office in the village in 1896 until around 1930.  

Later there was a postmark which named both Lundin Links and Lower Largo (see example from 1940 with large red stamp).  

Eventually, the local village postmark was discontinued and mail posted here was stamped "Leven".

This postcard isn't dated but is likely to be around the 1930s.  The metal railings (taken down in World War Two) are still there but the roads and pavements are well surfaced and the first of the driveways have appeared.  These houses on Leven Road were built around the turn of the century when none of the residents would have owned cars.  The only opening into a property from the road was the gate at the foot of the path to the front door.  On another Lundin Links postcard dated 1921, the sender commented...

 "Having a good time at Lundin Links.  No motors - so no splashes!"

By the 1930s, however, horse-drawn vehicles had all but disappeared and motor car ownership was on the up.  The first £100 car, the Morris Minor was produced in 1931. The 1930s saw the introduction of the driving test, the requirement for insurance and the 30 mph speed limit in built up areas.  Of course, the war affected the upward trend but by the 1950s and 1960s many more driveways would have been opened up along this street.  Back when this photograph was taken though the boys crossing the road with the barrow seem unconcerned about the possibility of traffic!

Sometimes very old photographs of the village are difficult to make sense of, as they offer us scenes that no longer exist. Everything in this c1900 image is still there today (bar the railway line and bridge) but a lot of the empty spaces have been filled in long ago.  Many of the buildings visible from this viewpoint then are now obscured.  This was a popular spot for photographers over the years and various postcards from different eras allow us to build up a clearer understanding of the order in which houses were built.

Just a few years before the above image was captured, none of the buildings in the foreground would have existed.  There would have been a clear view of the arc of villas that is Crescent Road, with the School at its centre (these were built closer to 1860). The Lundin Links Hotel would have been the original two-storey inn which used to occupy the site, rather than its present incarnation (shown newly built in the above picture).  The almost total lack of trees in the 1900 view is interesting in comparison to the up-to-date view below.  The 1900 photo is one of these images that makes you wish you could step back in time and see what else has changed over the past century or so.

This postcard view is undated but shows Station Road (now Links Road) only partially developed.  Perhaps it's the inter-war period.  There's a train waiting at Lundin Links Station in the centre background, with the rising steam making it easier to pick out.  There seems to be a handful of people making their way towards the village from the station in the distance. Opened in 1857 as an extension to the East of Fife Railway, the station pre-dated most of the houses in Lundin Links but was created in the hope of development - which did come eventually.  

The second image shows rail ticket prices from 1926, offering first or third class fares.  The station closed in 1965.  If you have memories of the stations at Lundin Links or Largo, please comment.  If you have a photograph of either station, which you would like featured on this site, please get in touch using the 'Contact' link on the right hand menu.

This 1920s view of Lower Largo Pier and Harbour is taken looking down from the viaduct and shows the Pierrot stage and seating area in the centre of the shot.  Pierrot shows were a hugely popular form of seaside family entertainment during the heyday of the British seaside holiday and was part of the cultural heritage of most seaside resorts.
The lettering above the stage reads "PIER PAVILION" and bunting is strung above the sign.  Shows and their timings would have been advertised on the white rectangular board to the right of stage.  

This photograph was probably taken soon after the 1926 destruction of the pier by winter storms, as the pier itself looks to be freshly resurfaced.  Immediately behind the pavilion (obscured in this image) was a hut belonging to the Swimming Club and the shed to the left side of the pavilion was owned by the Crusoe Hotel.  In the late 1930s the Pier Committee had plans drawn up to cover over the seating area of the pavilion.  Whether the proposed canvas covered wood framework was actually implemented is unclear - if you know, please comment.  During World War Two the Pier Pavilion was done away with but surely various shows, concerts and other entertainment would have taken place on the pier both before and after the existence of this particular stage.

Back in the 19th century, certain ordinary men and women from across Scotland became sporting heroes at various "Games" or "Gatherings" events up and down the country.  One such man was James Methven of Lundin Mill.  A weaver by trade, James was also one of Scotland's foremost athletes in the 1850s and was described as a "powerful clean made young fellow" in one newspaper report.

In the days before television or easy long-distance transport, these events (often held on a local holiday) would draw immense crowds from surrounding areas.  These "games" were never short of competitors to take part in events like throwing the hammer, quoits, hurdle race, putting the stone, high leap, vaulting the pole, short race, long race, sack race, hitch & kick, and "hop, step and leap" (a version of the triple jump).  Brass bands and pipers would provide music throughout the day and the sporting part of the day would often be followed by an evening dance.  Tents would be put up for the sale of various refreshments and there might be a range of fairground-type stalls and attractions.

James Methven was born in Largo Parish in 1831, the eldest son of Andrew and Euphemia Methven.  His father, Andrew, was described as a mason and weaver in the 1851 census but was subsequently recorded as a stone mason, as James became old enough to take on the weaving work.  In 1869 James married Portobello-born Euphemia Robertson in Dysart and they went on to have four children.  James lived much of his life on Emsdorf Street but ended his days at Allan Cottage on Largo Road. He died there at the age of 95, in 1926.  The Courier described him (on 6 April) as being...

"...at one time a prominent competitor in Scottish Athletic tournaments....for many years held the record for the high leap, while at "hitch and kick" he was unequalled for quite a time."

[The 'hitch and kick' was a form of High Jump where the competitor had to spring up and kick an object hanging vertically above him, such as an inflated bladder hung from a pulley.]

Newspaper archives spanning 1851 to 1863 show James participating (and often winning) at games in many different places including Leven, Newburgh, Auchtermuchy, Colinsburgh, Cupar, St Andrews, Dunfermline, Ladybank, Jedburgh, Hawick, Alva, Kinross, Forfar, Dunbar, Torryburn and Leith.  It must have been worth the effort of all the travel and time away from home.  Often there were cash prizes on offer, as well as medals and other items donated by local supporters of the games such as gold pins or even nuggets of gold.

Games events such as the ones which James competed in, along with the various Highland Games, eventually influenced the revival of the Olympics - the first modern Olympics being held in 1896.  Given that James was so successful over a significant period of time, he no doubt could have been quite a famous athlete if he had lived in modern times!  In later life James Methven seems to have enjoyed golf and he was a life member of Lundin Golf Club.  Mr Methven was survived by his two sons (who lived abroad) and two daughters.