For many a decade adverts for A.K. Melville could be found in the local papers, such as the ones shown above. The advertisements usually included an illustration of one of the latest fashions. They evolve over time, reflecting the changing seasons and changing fashions. But who was A. K. Melville?

Born in Largo on 8 June 1874, in the Crusoe Buildings, Lower Largo, Alexander Kirk Melville was a son of fisherman David Melville and his wife Elizabeth Ballingall. Alexander was aged eleven when he left school to enter the employment of George Swan Rodger, the Upper Largo draper. After four years learning the trade there, Alexander made the move to Kirkcaldy. He gained experience with three firms there, as well as shorter spells in Glasgow, Dundee, Inverness and Edinburgh. When completing his apprenticeship in Kirkcaldy all his wages went on board and lodgings. So, when he wanted to go back to Largo to visit his large family, he had to walk there. His parents provided the fare for a return journey. 

In 1896, the Melville family experienced tragedy, when Alexander's father David was drowned in a fishing accident, along with two others - David's brother Thomas Melville and his brother-in-law, Thomas Ballingall. The newspaper piece from 29 February St Andrews Citizen described the circumstances of the accident and the aftermath. The crew of another boat righted the upset boat and returned to Largo with the one body that could be found - alerting Reverend David Malloch and Reverend William Pulford to the situation. These clergymen broke the news to the affected families. David Melville's widow Elizabeth died later the same year aged 51.

In the summer of 1900, Alexander took over Mr Whytehead's Hatter and Hosiery Shop at 118 High Street, Kirkcaldy. He began with a 14-day 'transfer sale' where he offered "every article at immense reductions" (see advert above from 4 August 1900 Fife Free Press). The following year, he married Elizabeth Clark, a native of Limekilns. The couple would go on to have two sons and a daughter. The business established itself as one of great quality and service and this was reflected in the firm's advertisements (see selection below).

On 2 September 1951, Alexander and Elizabeth Melville celebrated the occasion of their Golden Wedding in Anthony's Hotel, with their children and grandchildren. Three of Alexander's brothers were also present at the event. However, his Best Man had been his elder brother Peter, who was killed in the First World War. Among the reflections made on the Golden Wedding day, Mr Melville noted how he recalled the unveiling of the Robinson Crusoe statue in Lower Largo as a youth. 

​Just two months later, Alexander passed away at the age of 77. The Fifeshire Advertiser paid tribute to him as someone who "set his foot firmly on the bottom rung of the ladder whose topmost heights he reached through diligence and hard work". Local press also noted that he was also a keen follower of Raith Rovers Football Club and the Fife Flyers and someone who enjoyed gardening and golf (he laid out a 9-hole green on the lawn at his home). Alexander's widow Elizabeth moved to Lundin Links, living at Homestead on Woodlands Road. She died in 1968, aged 89. Son Hugo also lived in Lundin Links, at 'Gartly' on Station Road.
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The shop in the centre of the above image is Robert Hannan Melville's business  as a plumber, tinsmith and gasfitter. Born in East Lothian around 1835, Robert followed in the footsteps of his father Samuel Melville who was also a tinsmith and plumber. Samuel had been based for many years at the Shorehead in Leven but was working in Largo by around 1860. Following his father's death in 1863, Robert took over the business. Below is an early example of either father or son's work - a miner's head lamp, stamped 'Melville Largo'. 

Robert's wife Agnes Oatman, who he had married in 1860, died in 1864, two days after the birth of their daughter Agnes. Robert remained at their home on Kirkton of Largo's Main Street, which was known as Melville Cottage.  In 1871 Robert was living with his three daughters, Catherine, Isabella and Agnes and a domestic servant. He was described as a 'master plumber employing one man and one boy'. He remarried in 1874 to Margaret McDonald. In 1881, the household was recorded as Robert (plumber employing 1 man and 3 boys), Margaret and 17-year-old Isabella, who was a pupil teacher. Eldest daughter Catherine was working as a nurse in Glasgow at the time, while youngest daughter Agnes was working in Edinburgh as a domestic servant.

​In 1885, 21-year-old Agnes Melville married Peter Blackhall, a journeyman plumber, in Upper Largo. The following year, their daughter Agnes Oatman Blackhall was born. Tragically, history repeated itself, with the baby's mother Agnes dying days later. Young Agnes was raised by her grandparents Robert and Margaret Melville. At the time of the 1891 census, 4-year-old Agnes Blackhall was living at Melville Cottage with Robert and Margaret.

Among the buildings that Robert Melville provided plumbing services for were: restoration work at Largo Parish Church, a new farm steading at Pratis Farm, Emsdorf Street's Bellville, work on G.S. Rodger's Upper Largo shop and many of the new villas built in the locality. Often he competed for work with another Kirkton plumber, Alexander Wilson.  

By 1901, the household at Melville Cottage comprised just 66-year-old Robert and 14-year-old Agnes, know going by the name Agnes Melville. Margaret Melville had passed away in 1898. Young Agnes was described as 'Assistant Shop Keeper (China)'. Alexander Allan ran a neighbouring china shop. Agnes (or Aggie) became a keen collector of postcards around this time. A selection of those she received during her late teens are shown below.

In 1911, Robert's eldest daughter Catherine (a maternity nurse) was living with him and he was listed as a 'plumber and gas fitter'. Granddaughter Agnes was by now in Glasgow, working as a hospital nurse and back to using the surname Blackhall. Robert Melville died on 15 November 1916, aged 82. Eldest daughter Catherine became owner of Melville Cottage and the other buildings that belonged to her father. Second daughter, Isabella, was married to Leven postmaster Alexander Hunter. Agnes Blackhall (the 'Miss Melville' of the postcards below) died in 1958, unmarried, having devoted her life to her nursing career.

With their imposing facades fronting onto Victoria Road, the symmetrical pair of double villas shown above were from left to right originally named St Margaret's, Mount Vernon, Aird Bank and St Catherine's. The former pair are dated 1897 and the latter 1896. All were built under the instruction of enterprising local joiner and contractor Walter Horne. The newspaper piece from 1 July 1897 Leven Advertiser below details the stage of the development at that time, noting that:

"Coming from the station, the eye is at once arrested by the appearance of the double villas which have been erected by Mr W. Horne. The building on the right is sold, the other is hardly complete; they are of uniform design, rounded off with turrets at each end. Behind this, Mr Archibald M. White has almost finished a handsome self-contained villa, set off with oriels on each side of the entrance."

The 'self-contained villa' mentioned as being behind the main development is Lindisfarne (obscured and unseen in the above photo). Mount Vernon (left of centre, with the turret, now 10 Links Road) was run as a boarding house from newly built. Its entrance was on Station Road (now Links Road) - as seen in the image further below.

The first owner of Mount Vernon was Liverpool-born David Simpson. His joiner and cabinet-maker father had been born in Markinch but moved to Lancashire as a young man. David junior returned to his father's place of birth and became a partner at Balbirnie Wool Mill. In 1897, he married Mary Forrester, in the Crusoe Hotel, which had been run by Mary's parents John and Jane Forrester for many years. John had died in 1896 and, while Jane had taken over the Crusoe licence initially, she soon left the hotel to run Mount Vernon as a boarding house.

At the time of the 1901 census, David and Mary Simpson were living in St Margaret's with their two infant daughters, while Mary's 73-year-old mother Jane was next door at Mount Vernon. Jane ran the boarding house with two of her other daughters, Isabella and Lucy and a couple of her grand-daughters. When Jane died in 1902 aged 74, another of her daughters, Jeannie Hodge Forrester, took over the running of Mount Vernon.

​Jeannie (who died in 1940 aged 81) continued to be in charge there until the early 1920s, when Mrs Agnes Watters became proprietrix. It is Mrs Watters' name that appears on the advert below. By 1930 Mrs Watters owned both Mount Vernon and Victoria Boarding House but Mount Vernon was rented to her brother James Peebles Greig, who ran it until 1939. I imagine that one or both properties would have had some use during the Second World War as billets for soldiers.  

So why the name 'Mount Vernon'? Well, first owner, David Simpson, was born in Liverpool. In the city there is a district known as Mount Vernon which his family lived close to. The use of this name in Liverpool dates back to circa 1800. This seems linked to the fact that, in 1799, George Washington, the first President of the United States, died. His Virginia home was named Mount Vernon.  At that time there were strong links between Liverpool and the east coast of the USA and a ship named 'Mount Vernon' regularly sailed between the two places. A road in the growing city of Liverpool became known as Mount Vernon Place and the name has continued to be used to this day. Incidentally, the reason for George Washington's home being named Mount Vernon was that George's half-brother Lawrence, who owned the property prior to him, served under Admiral Edward Vernon during the War of Jenkins' Ear and renamed his estate in honour of his former commanding officer.

If you have ever wondered what the view through the viaduct at Lower Largo looked like 150 years ago, take a close look at the photograph above. This is one view of a scale model of Largo Mill, created by John Band in April 2021.  A series of different perspectives of the model are shown in the photographs below.

The model itself will be on display as an installation in the foyer of the Largo Library and Community Hub on Crescent Road, Lundin Links during Largo Arts Week. Display boards with photographs and detailed information about the mill will accompany the model. Arts Week runs 17-25 July 2021.

Below is an aerial view which clearly shows the layout of the buildings on the site. The Mill Cottage is set back, elevated beside the dam. Harbour Wynd runs up the right hand side of the scene. In the centre-ground from left to right are the gasworks/forge (partly obscured by trees); the main mill (centre with many windows); the steam engine house (to the immediate right of main mill); and the oil refining house / office (formerly the spinning mill flax heckling house (angled on the left). In the foreground is the viaduct, with the track visible. The Keil Burn runs through one of the arches and a ford can be made out just above the line of the viaduct. The ford is shown in greater detail further below.

Note the many tiny details within the model, such as the mill's bell tower, flights of steps, barrels and small bridges over the sluices. The landscaping features are also incredibly detailed. Best seen in full 3-D and up close but if you can't make it along to the installation at the library this summer I hope that these photos provide a sense of the huge amount of work that has gone into producing this showpiece. If you would like to learn more about the history of the site and read further details on its buildings and infrastructure, take a look at this series of in-depth posts (content created by John Band):

lundinlinks.weebly.com/blog/largo-mill-in-depth-part-1
lundinlinks.weebly.com/blog/largo-mill-in-depth-part-2
lundinlinks.weebly.com/blog/largo-mill-in-depth-part-3
lundinlinks.weebly.com/blog/largo-mill-in-depth-part-4

Reading the content of the above posts in conjunction with viewing these images of the model should transport you right back to circa 1870.

The portrait above has been shared by a blog reader hoping that someone may recognise the face or have some information to help identify the subject. The portrait hung for many years in the family home of Mary Gillies Rodger (who had strong connections to Lundin Mill and Largo). She referred to gentleman in the painting as "the sea captain". Note the sea in the background with a ship visible to the right on the horizon (detail shown below). 

The clothing and appearance of the gentleman should indicate an approximate date for the portrait. He is clean shaven with prominent sideburns – so before the trend for beards that started with the Crimean War in the 1850s. There could be a connection to the Rodgers of Lundin Mill.  Any ideas welcome!