Pictured above is a carte de visite by John Patrick of Leven, featuring a model of the house in which Alexander Selkirk lived in Lower Largo. The name 'Patrick' and the place 'Leven' can be seen in tiny writing on the left of the card and on the reverse is the photography studio's logo of the time (see below). This photograph of the model house can be dated to circa 1865.
The book 'Seatoun of Largo' by Ivy Jardine states that the scale model of the Selkirk cottage was made in 1865 by David Selkirk Gillies (then aged 22). John Patrick the photographer left Leven in 1867 for Kirkcaldy, confirming that the carte de visite must date to before then. The demolition of the old Selkirk home was preceded by the death in 1862 of Catherine Gillies (nee Selkirk or Selcraig) the great-grand-niece of Alexander Selkirk, the Largo-born inspiration for the character Robinson Crusoe.
Catherine, the widow of fisherman David Gillies, died on 1 February 1862 aged 83 years. The notice above appeared in the 4 February Fife Herald. She was both the owner and occupant of the home where Alexander was born. She "guarded most religiously the cup and chest, which, as interesting relics, had descended as an heirloom in the family" according to the Fifeshire Journal of 17 April 1862. The piece went on to say that "the death of this old woman is about to be followed by changes which must tend much to break up and obliterate the Largo-Crusoe traditions....The quaint old house of her fathers, with its moss-covered thatch, its grey walls and small windows" would soon also meet its demise. The house was indeed pulled down and the Crusoe relics put up for sale. The old cottage was likely demolished in 1862, as the replacement building on its site was described as 'ready for occupation' in November 1863. The model may therefore date to 1862, if modelled from real life rather than memory or sketches.
The actual house was likely not quite as neat and straight-edged as the model suggests. The engraving below by William Ballingall from his 1872 book 'Shores of Fife' shows the same number of windows and doors but a more uneven rooftop and gables. The engraving also shows some additional detail in terms of the adjoining structures, which provide more context. Note the crow-stepped gables - some examples of which can still be seen on Main Street today.
Once the old buildings were taken down and the site cleared, several new dwellings were erected. The replacement building on the actual cottage site was named Crusoe Buildings. This symmetrical building contained four dwellings each of which had a 'kitchen' and a 'room' with space for a corner bed. The building had undergone several refurbishments over the decades, including the enlargement of some windows and the conversion of the attic. The niche at the upper level, where the statue now reside, does not feature on the original drawings for the building. The Robinson Crusoe statue that we see today was unveiled in 1885.
Adjoining Crusoe Buildings were additional new dwellings, including 'Twin House', shown below, which was made for inseparable twin brothers William and Robert Gillies, owners of the fishing boat Ocean Bride. Several properties were built in total in a distinctive terrace - now 99 - 113 Main Street.
The model of the old cottage survived for many decades, receiving some repairs and repainting along the way. It looked slightly different by the early 1980s and appeared as below in the book 'Seatoun of Largo'. If you know what became of the scale model of the Selkirk family home - please leave a comment.