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1885 Platform Party

30/4/2017

The unveiling of the statue of Alexander Selkirk and the related celebrations have been covered here briefly before. However, the clarity of the above photograph of the 'platform party' on the day - 11 December 1885 - made me want to revisit the topic and to try to match the names recorded in the newspaper reports against the faces in the image. This blog post contains some initial deductions - can you help add more?

Present on the platform were:

David Gillies (Net Manufacturer, pictured right)
The Earl and Countess of Aberdeen (pictured below)
Thomas Stuart Burnett (sculptor of the statue) and Mrs Burnett
Major General Briggs and Mrs Briggs (Strathairley)
Colonel J Anstruther Thomson and Miss Thomson (Charleton)
Sir Archibald Campbell and Lady Campbell (Gibliston)
General Sir Frederick Hamilton and Lady Hamilton
Mr Baxter (Gilston)
Mr Davidson (Lahill)
Miss Rigg and Miss Haymes (Aithernie)
Dr and Mrs Palm
Rev David Malloch
Rev Dr Davidson
Ex-Bailie James L Selkirk (Glasgow)
Mr Wiliiam R Ketchen (Solicitor, Elie) and Miss Ketchen
Sergeant McKinnon (Colinsburgh)
Robert Gilchrist
Catherine Gillies
Samuel Gillies
James Gillies
Alexander Gillies
Miss Suttie (Cardy House, sister-in-law of David Gillies)
Mr Boothby (Springfield House)
Rev Mr McGregor (Free Church, Elie)
Mr and Mrs Stalker (Leven)
Mr John Harrow Jr (Edinburgh)
Dr Angus and Mrs Crole (Leven)
Bailie Martin (Cellardyke)

The most instantly-recognisable individual shown is David Gillies himself - owner of Cardy Works, funder of the statue and organiser of the event. He is marked '1' on the image below. To his left (further right on the image) are the Countess of Aberdeen (marked '2') and the Earl of Aberdeen (marked '3'). Behind the Earl (and wearing a distinctive hat) might be T. Stuart Burnett (marked '4'). Behind the Countess are a number of other females, on the left edge of the platform - among them is likely to be Miss Suttie, Miss Rigg and Miss Haymes.

Hazarding a guess at the guests marked '5' and '6', these could perhaps be James L. Selkirk and William Ketchen, respectively. Selkirk is likely to have had a prominent position at the front and Ketchen was accompanied by a young relative. Both these men gave speeches during the ceremony. Guests '7' and '8' can be matched to other photographs that exist of them (further below) - they are Col. J. Anstruther Thomson and Sir Archibald Campbell. Finally, the individual marked '9' looks very much like Samuel Gillies.

Pictured left to right are Col. J. Anstruther Thomson, Sir Archibald Campbell and Samuel Gilles.

At the end of the day a special train was waiting to take the Earl and Countess away and, as it steamed off, several "fog signals" which had been placed on the rails went off. When they arrived at Thornton, they joined the express train going north. As the next day's Fife Free Press stated, David Gillies had "left no stone unturned to make the proceedings a success."

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Emsdorf Street Newsagent

25/4/2017

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Back in 1965, plans were approved to alter the above buildings on Emsdorf Street into a connected newsagent shop and snack bar. Situated on the south side of the street, and run by the Jurecki family, the planned layout of the business is shown below.

These buildings were originally outbuildings associated with Emsdorf House - a substantial house with large gardens, which is situated behind, set back from the street. Between the 1930s and 1960s, James Kemp owned Emsdorf House and a 'shop and workshop'. He was a newsagent so it seems likely that this shop was already a newsagent shop prior to the 1965 alteration (the 'snack bar' being converted from the earlier workshop). The 1899 image below shows the old outbuildings on the left centre, before any of the above, just left of the man on the cart, behind the tree.

Thanks to University of Aberdeen for permission to share the above image. Photo © University of Aberdeen / Special Collections Centre

Finally, above is a photo of how the building looks today. In recent years it had been home to Hogan's Bar. But when the bar closed several years ago, the building was converted once more - this time to residential use. Nevertheless it is still recognisable with the white pillars marking out where the different elements of the business once were.

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Jurecki's

23/4/2017

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Who remembers this shop at the start of Lower Largo's Main Street? In the west part of what was originally Defoe Place, this building housed the village Post Office for many years during the first half of the 20th century. Now 3 Main Street and converted into a house, you can still make out traces today of where old signage used to be. If you have memories of this shop, please comment. What did you buy here?

Another of Max Jurecki's shops was in the centre of the parade of shops on Leven Road, Lundin Links (see below - with 'newsagent' sign). I recall buying comics, Barr's bottles, sweets and chocolate bars from here during the 1970s and 1980s.

Cafes and catering were also part of the Jurecki business - more to come on the Emsdorf Street shop and cafe in the next post.

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Summer Sports

21/4/2017

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The tennis courts couldn't be any busier in this circa 1930s view captured from a upper window of Ravenswood boarding house. Perhaps there was an organised tournament going on, as there are doubles matches in play on almost every court and other people waiting or the sidelines. Or perhaps it was always this busy during the heyday of the summer season! The players look very well turned out in their tennis whites. The bowling green (which was opened in 1905) is also being well used.

The close-up short below highlights how well-maintained the facilities are and clearly picks out the old tennis pavilion to the left of the courts. Note also the Gardener's Cottage of Homelands behind the pavilion on the left, partially obscured by trees. There is a greenhouse attached to this house and I imagine at this time the extensive gardens of Homelands would have been extremely well-kept and productive.

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Durham Terrace

20/4/2017

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The above postcard image features recently built housing, adjacent to the railway line, just to the east of Largo station. Durham Terrace is in the foreground on the left and Bourtree Terrace is in the distance, right of centre. It had taken a long time for the land to the north of the railway to be developed but the St Andrews Citizen of 19 March 1927 captured the first hint of the development that was to follow. The small article below shows that in 1927 a small scale scheme was proposed, if the infrastructure could be put in place to support it.

In fact, it was another year before the water main was fully approved (see notice from 17 March 1928 Fife Free Press).

The map above shows the location of both Durham Terrace (1) and Bourtree Terrace (2) relative to the station and railway line. In 1930 the residents of Bourtree Terrace sought the reinstatement of a right of way (see below, 6 February Courier). The late 1930s saw the further expansion of this area, with the first phase development of Station Park and the development of the vicinity has spread further north and east in phases and continues to this day.

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Easter Greetings

14/4/2017

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Best Wishes for Easter from Vintage Lundin Links!

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Thomas Black, Shoemaker

11/4/2017

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The building on the extreme left of the above image (of Main Street Upper Largo looking east) with the chimney was once 'Black's Boot and Shoe Warehouse'. This was the premises of Thomas Black, who rose to this position from humble beginnings. Born in Ceres around 1846, his father Robert, a hand loom weaver, died when Thomas was a toddler and the family were described as paupers in the 1851 census. However, by the next census, aged 14, Thomas was listed as 'apprentice shoemaker'. Ten years further on, Thomas Black married Christina Brown and they set up home in Largoward. He was now a master bootmaker, employing one man. In 1875, the advert below appeared in the 10 July Dundee Courier.

In 1881 Thomas and Christina were still in Largoward, now with a son and a daughter and two boarders who were both shoemakers. The advert below (1 April 1880, Fife Herald) shows that one of the products made by the business were "pit shoes". There were several coal pits around Largoward at the time (perhaps that was why Black set up there in the first case). However, over time, new products were advertised and a shop in Upper Largo was opened (see advert further below from 19 May 1894 St Andrews Citizen). Son Robert became an apprentice when he reached his teens and by 1901 he was a fully fledged boot maker and his sister Mary was a 'boot shop saleswoman'.

Widowed in 1907, Thomas was still making boots at the time of the 1911 census, well into his 60s. Evidence of his Upper Largo shop still exists in the form of a 'ghost sign' on the gable end of his old retail outlet. The words 'Black', 'boot', 'shoe' and 'warehouse' can still just about be made out.

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Burnside

8/4/2017

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This unusual postcard view features a sluice gate in the foreground and a lot of vegetation. Probably the main point of interest is the partially obscured building in the middle distance, which is the flour mill. Beyond that is an elevated piece of farmland. The picture was taken from the bridge over the Keil Burn at the beginning of Largo Road, Lundin Links. The map below shows the direction that the photographer was looking in.

The image and map below show another view of the little hill, from a different angle - both dating from the 1940s. This time the photographer is standing in the garden of the cottage which sits behind what was once the Cottage Tearoom. This open ground is now the Keilburn and Toll Court housing estate. The blue arrow on the map marks the general angle at which this image was captured.

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1885 Platform Party

Emsdorf Street Newsagent

Jurecki's

Summer Sports

Durham Terrace

Easter Greetings

Thomas Black, Shoemaker

Burnside

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