Once known as 'East House', the last house at the east end of the Temple has undergone significant alterations over the years. Above is a painting from the mid-1960s by Derek Hansen showing the house in a transition phase - between the original traditional weaver's cottage of the mid-1800s and the extended modern home that it is now (see below). The 1960s version of the house had already seen a series of windows added to the east-facing gable end. Originally, there were no windows on the east side - as can be seen in the John Blair paintings of circa 1910 further below.
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The people of Lundin Links weren't short on banking facilities back in the 1930s. The photograph above shows three banks within the short stretch of Leven Road shops. From left to right these are:

1. National Bank of Scotland
2. British Linen Bank
3. Commercial Bank

The three banks were there from the mid 1920s until around 1940. The National Bank rented its premises from the Post Office proprietor (initially Robert Ferguson then James Duncan), while the British Linen Bank was a tenant of neighbouring Somerville the Grocer and the Commerical Bank was tenant of Emma Gulland (who had the shop next door). In addition, the National Bank had an office in Crescent Road for a spell while the Linen Bank had its office briefly on Emsdorf Street within the La Scala cinema building.

Below is a close-up view of the Banks plus an advert for both the Commercial Bank and the Linen Bank dating to this period (both listing a Lundin Links branch). 
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The outbreak of the Second World War was the beginning of the end for this banking stronghold. A front page notice from the 17 Oct 1939 Leven Advertiser indicates that all three banks were to operate reduced hours from the following Monday. By 1942 the 'old' National Bank premises were empty and being advertised to let (see 21 Oct Leven Mail clip). The National Bank moved into the Commercial Bank site at the corner of Crescent Road. It was the last bank standing on Leven Road, as the Linen Bank did not reopen after the war. In 1959 the National Bank merged with the Commercial Bank. A decade later it merged with the Royal Bank of Scotland - in which guise many will remember the corner bank at Lundin Links.
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The above pair of images show the east end of The Temple circa 1900 (above) and 2019 (below). The scene is largely unchanged - bar the alterations to a number of the buildings and the lack of boats at this end of the beach these days. However, evidence does remain to this day of the use of the sandy gap between the rocks by fishermen. Below is a close up of an old mooring ring (in foreground).

Maps of this area show the narrow but useful gap between rock strata in line with the end of The Temple - showing why boats were once a common feature here. 
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​The houses in the centre above, with the red roofs can be dated to 1857. The building named 'Seabrae' has the inscription shown below. 

In the years that followed, the family continued to perform around Fife and Angus. A notable occasion was in Brechin on the day of the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838. The day (28 June) was a gala day for the town. Celebrations included a puppet theatre for the entertainment of children which ran from nine o'clock in the morning until six in the afternoon. A 'first' for the town, the marionette show was managed by William senior and "gave great delight" on that "happy day". Among the scenes typically portrayed by Mr Stephens in this era was Napoleon Bonaparte's 1800 crossing of the Alps and the 1812 fire of Moscow.

Around 1840, William junior married Ann Ferguson of Ayrshire and made the shift from performing with his father to performing with the support of his wife (and later their children). The family group began to be referred to as "Shuffle Katie", after one of the popular dancing marionette characters from their show. In fact the character had been part of his father's repertoire too. Due to the nature of their occupation, the Stephens family lived a fairly nomadic lifestyle. Census data finds them staying at a range of places over the decades (often recorded as 'lodgers'). 

In 1851, William and Ann were in Johnstone in Renfrewshire with daughters Ann and Agnes. William was described as a 'musician', By 1861, the family had grown (daughter Wilhelmina was born in 1856) and were lodging in Kilconquhar (William still described as a "musician" and his two eldest daughters noted as "professional vocalists"). In 1871 the whole family were in Collessie but split between two different houses. William was an "Artist (Travelling Comedian)" as was his wife, while his three daughters were "Vocalists". 1881 found the Stephens in Falkland - all 'boarders' and William described simply as an "artist".
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A review of a show in 26 May 1881 Fife Herald stated that "with new scenery, new figures, &c, his entertainment, long popular in Fife and far beyond it, is now more attractive than it ever was." However, Mr Stephens died just weeks later on 24 July 1881 from pneumonia while staying in Largoward. He was aged 61. The record of his death gives his occupation as 'marionette player' and describes his father as the same. This indicates that although the descriptions of William's occupation varied over the years, reflecting his many talents, his skills as a puppeteer were core to his identity. His death brought an end to the performances so loved by the people of Fife and beyond. Mrs Stephens  advertised over seventy marionettes and twenty-one scenes for sale later in 1881. Ann Stephens died in Cupar in 1905.

​Below is a selection of mentions of the Stephens family from the newspaper archives. Note that many of the set pieces are based on well know stories, songs and poems such as 'The House that Jack Built',  'The MIller O' Dee', 'Mr Peter Paterson', 'The Laird of Cockpen', 'Willie Brewed A Peck O' Maut', 'Babes in the Wood' and 'Robin Tamson's Smiddy'.

A long-time favourite across the Kingdom of Fife, the appeal of "Shuffle Katie" endured for decades and was fondly recalled for many decades after his death. In the 26 April 1924 St Andrews Citizen, Dean of Guild W.T. Linskill reminisced: 

"the gem of all shows" was Shuffle Katie. Stephens was "a clever fellow. He was a musician, a bit of a ventriloquist, a good mimic, manager and entertainer, and was assisted by his clever, versatile family. There was singing, dancing and clever marionettes, smartly manipulated. But the peach of this clever entertainment was, to my mind, his wonderful shadow shows. He had wonderfully constructed mechanical jointed figures (made of iron I believe) most skilfully worked by wires and strings. They were shown through a thin, stretched sheet with powerful lights behind. I shall not in a hurry forget our delight at "The Broken Bridge", a shadow sketch, the best of the lot, I thought. I would go a long way to see it all again...."

This was not the only time that Linskill wrote in the paper about Shuffle Katie. In another piece he recounts the story of The Broken Bridge. His description shows that Stephens performance was very similar to this modern day version (click link to view video): Broken Bridge.
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Perhaps an ancestor of yours was taught to dance by William or was entertained by the Stephens family? If you have any anecdotes to tell, please comment.

Following the previous two posts - Sentimental Journey and A Postman's Lot - this post looks at a third short film made by the late Ernest Mackie. Another collection of postie-related antics, 'Carry on Postman' can be viewed here.

If you are trying to work out where in Largo is featured from 1:39 into the film, don't even try.....it's 7 Bowling Green Street in Methil (with Denbeath Miners' Welfare Institute at the street end). However, the vast majority of the filming takes place in Lower Largo with post mistress Elizabeth Grassick and postmen Wattie Blyth, Edward Stephen, and Ernest Mackie himself, in the lead roles.

Does anyone recall any Ernest Mackie films other than these three? Do you have a copy of them?  Anyone willing to assist with finding, converting to digital and sharing more of these gems, please do get in touch. 

The short films made by Ernest Mackie brought much pleasure to the local community - both back in the 1960s when they were first made and for many years afterwards at community screenings. An earlier post shared the railway-themed film 'Sentimental Journey'. This film - entitled 'A Postman's Lot' features the Lower Largo Post Office staff, along with several locals playing cameo roles (not to mention pet dogs!) and can be viewed here. Brilliantly humorous and entertaining, this film also provides a unique snapshot of life in Largo at the time. 

Let's not forget the talent of Ernest Mackie, the film maker, who died last year and all of the willing participants that took part in this film - particularly post mistress Elizabeth Grassick and postmen Wattie Blyth and Edward Stephen. What fun they must have had coming up with the sketches and practising acting them out. Can you identify the various homes featured?

A few stills from the film are shown below.

Many will remember with great fondness the cine films made by Ernest Mackie back in the 1960s. Featuring subject matter such as the railway and the local posties. Often humorous - these films were publicly screened from time to time at venues such as the Simpson Institute and the Old Baptist Meeting Hall. Some locals were fortunate enough to have copies of the original films put onto DVD and one of them has suggested sharing the films more widely via this site, so that local people can relive the memories, perhaps see themselves (or people they know) in the films and appreciate once again the talent of Ernest Mackie. 

Ernest was truly ahead of his time in terms of the skill and quality of his film-making. When you watch these short films, please do take time to remember that these were made with 1960s technology. A huge amount of care and thought went into the filming, editing, captioning, music, etc. The first film (which you can link to from here) is entitled 'Sentimental Journey' and it captures perfectly the sadness at the loss of the East of Fife railway line and its stations. It features a very moving poem and shows a mix of clips from both before and after the line's closure. A few stills from the film are shown below.

Sadly, Ernest Mackie passed away on 23 August 2019 at the age of 88.