The 30 July 1969 East Fife Mail reported on the gift given to Largo Kirk of a model of The Yellow Caravel (the 15th century ship of Admiral Sir Andrew Wood). The man pictured working on the model is Dan Marshall, who lived in Westora on The Promenade, Leven. Sir Andrew Wood had been a boyhood hero of Dan's and his model making idea had begun as far back as 1934. It was then that he visited the Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street in Edinburgh, to view their model of the Yellow Caravel.  He gained permission to examine and sketch the model and take measurements, with a view to creating a replica.

Dan was home on leave from China and he intended to follow up the preparatory work by embarking upon his own model on his subsequent visit home. While in the museum, an older man sat down next to Dan and asked him about his plans. He turned out to be the maker of the museum's model, Richard Paterson of Lasswade. Mr Paterson had undertaken a number of commissions for the Museum. His other works included the Great Michael and a Viking longboat. Richard Paterson's original 1926 Yellow Caravel model can be viewed here.

Dan Marshall made a start on his version of the Yellow Caravel but progress was slow and, after some time had passed with only the hull completed, he scrapped the model and the project ground to a halt. More than three decades later, while working in the Gas Board Offices, Mr Marshall had a conversation with Upper Largo minister, Reverend Douglas Lister. Dan explained that he had long dreamed of making a model ship to hang in a church. Nothing happened for six months, until the pair talked again and Rev. Lister asked when Dan was going to start on his model.

Around 500 hours of intricate work later, Marshall's model was presented to Upper Largo Parish Church on 3 August 1969, at a service televised by the BBC for Songs of Praise. The Church still has this special memorial to Wood on display today. Built at a 1:48 scale, the Yellow Caravel is positioned on a small table against a wall next to the main dais so that all members of the congregation looking at the communion table and pulpit will see the little ship as well. The black and white photograph below shows the model (to the right) in context.
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Here is a description of the model:

Scale: 1:48
Length Overall: 1000mm
Breadth: 250mm
Height: 960mm
Material: wood, paint, cotton thread and metal fittings
Construction: Block built with built up topside
Description: Hull is painted black below the waterline and yellow and blue above. The stern castle and forecastles are both built up in the style of the fifteenth century warship, painted yellow, blue and red stripes with shields depicting the Scottish red lion rampant, the saltire and one bearing the oak tree family crest of Sir Andrew Wood. A saltire is also picked out in blue lines on the lugsail at the foremast and in decorations around the crows‐nest on the main mast. Two yellow metal carronades are on each side of the main deck.
Transom: painted blue, yellow and red stripes with two Scottish lion shields and a central saltire shield.
Masts and Spars: painted yellow with blue bands.
Rigging: fully rigged with sails set. Main sail is painted with two images of ships carrying saltires and a large oak tree, the family crest of Sir Andrew Wood.
Flags: Large tin saltires fly at the bow, stern and mainmast. 
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This model represents a typical armed merchantman of the 15th century rather than specifically the Yellow Caravel, no illustration of which survives. It carries seven guns, crossbows and pikes. The mainmast has a fighting top. The coat of arms on the mainsail are those of Sir Andrew Wood. Wood began his naval career as a privateer under James III and prospered under James IV. By 1489 he owned the Flower and the Yellow Carvel, both fighting ships, which fought and captured five English ships close to Dunbar.

The English launched a larger offensive the following year under Stephen Bull, which attacked Wood's ships in the Firth of Forth. After two days of fighting, Wood triumphed, capturing the English ships, despite having been outnumbered. James IV knighted Wood following this battle, granting him land in Largo. Wood built a fortified tower house there, married Elizabeth Lundie and had several sons. In 1511, he took command of the Great Michael, the flagship of the Royal Scots Navy, said to be the largest ship in Europe, weighing 1,000 tons and measuring 240ft (73 metres) long.
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The Upper Largo Church model is one of many ship models found in Scottish Churches. If you would like to find out more about ship models in Scottish Churches, click here, to read a thesis on the topic by Meredith Clare Greiling (June 2019).
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The stables associated with Largo Parish Church and its manse date to the 1830s. Originally, the building would have provided the minister with stables, a gig house and possibly a byre for any livestock kept. It likely also would have provided stabling for the horses of some of the worshippers for the duration of Church services. While the majority of the congregation would have walked to Church (some covering long distances) a few would have brought horses. 

The building's original use became redundant long ago but it was not until the late 1960s that it was repurposed as a hall facility. In 1965, renovation work had taken place in the Church itself. It was redecorated, new lighting was installed and a new communion table was gifted. That same year, the pulpit and baptismal font from Newburn Church were moved to Largo. With those changes completed, attention focussed on the need to renovate the old stables. The objective was to create a new hall facility with good car parking facilities. The challenge was how to achieve this in a cost effective manner.

Assistance came in the form of a work party of thirteen young people from different parts of Europe, led by David Cowan from Farnham, Surrey. The Christian Movement for Peace group arrived in the summer of 1969. As the East Fife Mail reported, "the clatter of bulldozers and cement mixers announced that they had made a start on the projects". Staying in the nearby Church Rooms and Scout Hall, the seven females and six males, aged between 20 and 22, came from Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Norway and England. During their three week stay, the work party began work at 7 a.m. and worked until 1 p.m. each day, after which, their time was their own.

As well as making a start on the conversion of the stables and the laying out of a the car park, the group carried out redecoration work in the public rooms of the manse and in the homes of some of the old folk in the village. Mechanical equipment had been loaned for the project and a cement mixer was used to concrete the floor of the stables. Most of the group were new to building work but professional supervision was on hand.

The photograph above appeared in the 30 July 1969 East Fife Mail and shows some of the work party in action on a sunny day. The Christian Movement for Peace (now known as Volunteer Action for Peace) was founded by Etienne Bach an army officer from Alsace. Originally, it was formed to help reconciliation between France and Germany but it expanded following the Second World War to cover many countries in Europe. After 1950, an emphasis was placed on practical work and discussion to promote greater understanding between denominations and nationalities. The group's visit to Largo, ​coincided with two services being recorded in the Church for BBC television's Songs of Praise on 3 August. The image below shows Reverend Douglas Lister, minister at the time, right of centre, on the day of filming.

The former manse associated with Largo Parish Church dates to 1770, when it replaced an earlier manse on the site. Kirk Session records suggest that the manse was completed mid-1770, as this was when the manse became the venue for their meetings. Before that date, meetings had been held in either Wood's Hospital or the Church itself. Largo Parish Church had experienced a time of turmoil immediately before the building of the manse.

In November 1768, minister Robert Ferrier demitted his charge to form an Independent Church at Balchrystie. To fill the vacancy, James Durham of Largo House presented Reverend David Burn. This choice sparked objections from a number of the congregation and, initially, Burn declined the call. However, when offered the post a second time, Burn accepted. The members of the congregation who were still dissatisfied with the turn of events, left the Church and formed the new congregation that became Largo Relief Church (forerunner to Largo St David's Church).

So David Burn was the first to occupy the manse and remained there until his death in the summer of 1776. The next occupant was Reverend Spence Oliphant (1777-1821). The extract from the 1792 Old Statistical Account for Largo below states that "the manse was rebuilt 20 years ago" and that at the time it was "among the best in the presbytery". Shortly after the arrival of Robert Lundin Brown, the manse was significantly extended (1822). Today the manse is a category B listed building, described as:

Two storeys and dormerless attic. Three bays; harled with painted margins. Central door in moulded architrave; bracketed cills. One window to each floor in gable ends including attic. Glazing mainly plate-glass sashes. Slate roof with straight skews and corniced ashlar end stacks. Rear wing, 19th century two storey, three bays with stair in re-entrant angle.

In 1894, retired minister Reverence William Davidson died at the manse. Shortly afterwards, the contents of the house were sold at roup. The list of household furniture and other articles below from the 27 April East of Fife Record gives an insight to the content of the manse at that time. 
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The above postcard image is entitled High Street Lundin Mill. It predates the development of Leven Road, further to the west. This street (Emsdorf Street), along with Hillhead Street, was where the majority of village shops could be found. The date of the photograph can be narrowed down to between 1895 and 1899. It was captured after the 1895 completion of Bellville, the railings of which can be seen on the far right foreground, yet before the 1900 completion of the Lundin Links Hotel.

The construction of the hotel involved the demolition of the two cottages in the left hand foreground (also shown in more detail below) to make way for gated access to the hotel grounds. The photograph further below, entitled Emsdorf St Lundin Links, was captured a few years later. Note the absence of the old cottages on the left but also the fact that the street lamp holder that was once attached to the demolished cottages has moved to the opposite side of the road. The old dwellings date to the establishment of the village of Emsdorf from 1802.

The cottages looked neglected in the photo, having been unoccupied since before the 1891 census. The three-storey house beyond them belonged to William Dick the coachbuilder. His property incorporated a pend for carriages to go through and a workshop at the bottom of the garden. Local resident Esther Menzies recalled:

"It was a fascinating place to be sent to.  There were wheels all over and upended gigs and such like with the shafts up in the air.  He also sharpened lawn mowers and knives.  Next to this were two cottages or maybe one and a byre.  There wasn't much difference. Two old women stayed there.  Maggie Drummond sold sweets which were displayed in her window on a table....when you were in the shop or room and looked along the passage you could see the cows flicking their tails.  The Seaway is there now."
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Indeed beyond Dick's property was another tumbledown cottage, occupied by sisters Isabella and Margaret Drummond. It was demolished and replaced with La Scala cinema. Looking a decade further back, at the 1881 census, it appears that the residents of these run-down properties were largely linen handloom weavers, bobbin winders for the net factory and paupers. Their simple dwellings were cleared away to be replaced with a hotel of unimaginable modern luxury. The transformation of old Lundin Mill into Lundin Links was dramatic for those that lived through it, such as nonagenarian Mrs Wallace.

There are several details worth highlighting in the circa 1897 image at the top of this post.  Looking at the zoomed in version below, note the water tap to the left, next to the people peering into the baker's shop window. On the opposite side of the street, it looks like a coal delivery has been deposited onto the road and a hand barrow is being used to transfer this through the cottage to be stored round the back. In the distance, to the left of centre, is David Lindsay's grocer shop. Careful inspection shows the letters Y'S PROVISIONS visible behind the row of houses. David Lindsay was the original proprietor of this shop, built not long before the photograph was taken. Esther Menzies recalled this shop saying:

"Mr Lindsay sold everything nearly - bran, parings, oatmeal, dried big cod, doormats, salt herring from a barrel in front of the counter and of course the ordinary groceries not packaged as they are today."

Later owners would include James Turbayne and Robert Leishman. To the right of centre is the wall surrounding Pump Green. As Esther Menzies wrote in her memoires, the green was... 

"surrounded by a high stone wall following the line of the posts and chain there at present but protruding in an arc for several yards at the south end.  There was a gap of about four yards with an iron pump with a turning knob....The washing was laid out to bleach in the curved end and we did not play on the green if the washing was there.  At other times it was a playground.  The grass patch beyond was near oblong.  It was crossed by paths - one leading round by the curved wall to Emsdorf Place Houses, another at the east edge in front of their doors and another from Woodlands Road cutting through to meet the one passing alongside the Pump Green wall and leading up to the Hillhead."
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The annotated map (dating to 1893) below points out the main features mentioned above. Note that there are four water taps (marked W.T.) within this small area. 

1. Site of new Lundin Links Hotel
2. Site of Bellville
3. Old Cottages (demolished)
4. William Dick's Coachworks
5. Drummond sisters' cottage
6. Baker's Shop
7. Site of Lindsay's Grocer
​8. Pump Green

Incredibly, since writing the previous two blog posts about the ​Largo Field Naturalists' Society, instituted in 1863, a photograph of the five founders has surfaced. The image above, of five men surrounded by plants, is part of the St Andrews University Library Special Collection. The only named man is Charles Howie (seated in the centre) and the official record only speculates on who the others in the photograph are. Taken by St Andrews photographer Thomas Rodger (1832-1883), this photo would have been taken between before 1872 (when it was displayed on the wall at a complimentary dinner in honour of Howie).

Now, to deduce who's who in the photograph. The youngest of the founding members was Benjamin Philp, Commission Agent and resident of Drummochy House. I would speculate that he is the man on Howie's right holding a smart shiny hat. To Howie's left is a dapper-looking gentleman with a trimmed collar and a floral embellishment on his jacket - likely tailor and clothier William Wood. Holding a plant stem on the far left is most probably Balcarres gardener Robert Adamson. That would leave the man on the far right in the tweed jacket as farmer James Bardner. So looking in detail at the men below, these could be from left to right: Robert Adamson, William Wood, Charles Howie, Benjamin Philp and James Bardner. Any information to help confirm this would be welcome.
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After keen botanist Charles Howie retired to Upper Largo in 1862, these men, with a shared interest in the natural world, worked hard to establish their fledgling Society. In 1872 the first of the founding members was lost, when James Bardner, tenant farmer at Chesterstone died aged 55. Bardner was a well-known figure in the community, also being the first President of Largo Curling Club. Although this must have been a blow for the Society, it continued to flourish, despite having handed over the running of the annual floral fete to the newly-formed Largo Horticultural Society in 1875. The extract below from the 1877 Oliver and Boyd's New Edinburgh Almanac shows the office bearers of the Society at that time. As the previous post described, the Society opened its Museum in the old Parish School on Upper Largo's North Feus (in the foreground in the photograph below) in 1879. Just two years later, the field naturalists lost another founder - Robert Adamson, former gardener at Balcarres, who died in 1881 aged 69.
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Through the 1880s, the Society's monthly meetings, annual 'conversazione' and weekly museum openings continued. The newspaper report above from 2 June 1887 Fifeshire Journal shows that both long-standing members and newer faces were actively involved. Charles Howie continued to own the museum building, leasing it to the Society, while renting Eden Cottage as his residence. However, around 1890, Charles Howie and his wife Isabella (pictured below circa 1845) moved back to St Andrews, due to failing health. Letters written by Howie during the 1890s show that he was frequently under doctor's orders to stay in bed. Yet he still tried to support the Society from a distance. He donated his collection of ferns to the museum around this time.

The early 1890s also saw the loss of two more Society founders. Benjamin Philp died in 1892 aged 72 and William Wood in 1893 aged 83. Long-distance member and long-time supporter Charles Jenner also died in 1893. Isabella Howie died in 1897 and Charles Howie himself passed away in 1899. Before his death, Howie transferred ownership of the Museum building to the Largo Field Naturalists' Society. 

The piece below from the 20 November 1907 Leven Advertiser tells of how Charles Howie was "the cementing influence which bound others with less enthusiasm together" and that "with his death the activity of the Society ceased".  The article goes on to say that the museum had now "for some years been little visited". It was school master Thomas Nicoll who now acted as Society Secretary and keeper of the Museum. His role was seen as "extremely nominal". At this point the future of the Society and its museum seemed bleak, however, change was afoot.

The Gilmours of Montrave had long supported the Field Naturalists and their museum. So when Sir John Gilmour provided a new public hall for Lundin Links - now known as the Montrave Hall - he ensured that it included space for a museum at the rear. The plans above show a hall capable of holding 388 adults, a stage and behind that a museum, with its own entrance to the side of the building. The contents of the Upper Largo Museum were moved to the new hall, in the growing village of Lundin Links, where greater footfall could be achieved. The old museum building was put up for sale (see below from 20 July 1910 Leven Advertiser). 
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