Pictured above is Mrs Elizabeth Scott - stationmistress at Lundin Links during the 1930s. Born Elizabeth Smith Urquhart, her father and grandfather had both been railway men and she herself became the wife of Grantshouse stationmaster William Scott. When her husband died at an early age in 1922, she was able to take on the role herself.  Soon after being widowed, Elizabeth was appointed stationmistress at Gilmerton, where she remained for eight years before moving to Invergarry station.

As the Berwickshire News (21 July 31) stated at the time of her move north: "the capable hands of women have stretched far into man's domains and there are now very few positions held by man that his "better half" could not capably fill." With her pet black labrador Jim alerting her to approaching trains, Mrs Scott thrived in her role and also enjoyed tending the station garden - winning prizes in competitions for her station's appearance.

Being a native of Kingskettle, Mrs Scott must have desired to return to Fife and made the move to Lundin Links in 1932. She remained at Lundin Links station throughout the 1930s and into the war years. However, she died suddenly on 15 September 1941 at the station house, aged 52. The Scotsman of 16 September reported that "she was one of the few women stationmasters in Scotland and was well-known to summer visitors to Lundin Links". The Fife Free Press of 20 September stated that "she was well known and liked by all who came in contact with her. She was of a cheery nature and could turn her hand to most of the jobs at the station and carried out her duties faithfully and well". Elizabeth was buried at St Boswells.

'More cars and fewer shops' sums up the difference between circa 1950 and present day views of the west part of Main Street, Lower Largo. The Cockleshell Cafe and neighbouring shop are seen on the right of the upper image. These two separate retail spaces varied in use over time.  At one point in the 1930s they contained a chemist and cafe. During part of the Second World War, both units were unlet.  Eventually, the Cockleshell Cafe was re-established and it changed hands at the end of the 1940s (see 1949 advert below). In more recent times, the two spaces were combined into one shop, latterly known as 'Central Stores', before being converted for residential use.

Another change over the intervening years is the arrival of the modern building on the left that filled a gap site. Also note that it appears to be bin day in the earlier photo - judging by their small size, there was much less waste in these days!

Taken more than 50 years apart, there are few differences between the two photographs above, which look along Lower Largo's Main Street, from what was the Loomshop Studio, westwards. Bar the odd  window realignment, street light removal and new road marking, everything still looks much as it was in the earlier shot. Even the number of cars here remains low due to the narrowness of the street at this point. The next post will show a 'then and now' further west, where the presence of cars is the most obvious change.

The above painting, featured on a Largo postcard, is by Dundee artist David Small. Originally from Kinross, David was a cashier before swapping the office for the studio. As the Dundee Courier (13 May 1927) noted, "from his earliest years he had shown an artistic bent". He was one of the earliest members of the Glasgow Art Club and "for some years was engaged on work for the illustrated journals". In 1890, he joined Dundee publisher John Leng and Co. Ltd. (which later merged with D.C. Thomson) and "during the years prior to the introduction of photographic reproductions his graphic sketches of passing events were a regular feature of the "Advertiser" and allied publications".

After producing much work featuring Glasgow and Dundee, "Mr Small's talent...discovered itself perhaps more fully in his transcripts from the East Neuk of Fife".  His scenes from this part of Fife were reproduced as postcards - sending his work all over the world..."their homely truthfulness has stirred the affectionate memories of exiles from the homeland."

Although Mr Small (shown in the photograph below) lost his sight in his later years, "he kept his interests ever alive, delighted in an argument about some artistic or antiquarian problem, and was the most genial and kindly companion for a long evening's talk". When he died at the age of 82 in 1927, he was survived by six sons and one daughter.

On 22 May 1964, Peacehaven care home opened. The former boarding house and hotel was acquired by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church after a six year search for a suitable building in pleasant surroundings for older folk. As the Leven Mail reported under the headline "Eventide Home Opened at Lundin Links", the church had opened its first home in Scotland in 1958, in Edinburgh. However, the building had been over four floors and was felt to be far from ideal. A long search within the Edinburgh area for an alternative property proved fruitless. Then, a site at Bridge of Allan was acquired. However, it was concluded that the cost of making that building fit for purpose would be prohibitive.

Eventually, an estate agent in Edinburgh sent details to the church of the Golf View Hotel building in Lundin Links.  It was decided that a visit should be made. The former hotel was found to be a most suitable site, so negotiations began on the purchase, which was concluded late in 1963. Mr Colin Wilson, the secretary/treasurer of the British Adventist Missions Limited said that:

"It was a most delightful building then - like a little bit of heaven - but during the past few months a tremendous amount of work has been done and it is now looking very beautiful."
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Many will remember the "famous" Forte's ice-cream - available for many decades from the late 1920s. The above advert dates to 1968, when a move was made into the wholesaling of the product.  The Forte family's business ventures also included, for a time, the 'Cafe de Lux' advertised below.  This adverts dates to circa 1930. Note the slogan "Ice cream is not a luxury, It is a food if properly made".  Wouldn't it be nice to be able to try it again?

From around 1928 until 1955, the 'Golf View Hotel' on Station Road in Lundin Links (now Links Road) was run by the MacLean family. Originally built in 1907 for John George Gerrard, the building became the twin boarding houses of Linksfield and Roseneath before changing guise to the Golf View Hotel. The MacLeans came from Gairloch in Wester Ross originally and as well as running the hotel in Lundin Links for 27 years, had the Maitland Hotel on Shandwick Place in Edinburgh for a spell. ​One member of the hotel-keeping family, John MacLean, died tragically on 11 October 1943 when he drowned in Largo Bay, and was found on the shore at Lundin Links, aged 45. His sisters and brother continued in the business. Below are some adverts from the period.

After being advertised for sale or let in 1955, the building is barely mentioned until 1964, when it opened as an eventide home, having been purchased by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church (more on that in the next post). 

Below is the hotel in a wider view, with the 'flower gardens' (also known as 'Mrs Nisbet's Garden') in the foreground. Barbara Frances Nisbet (shown in the inset photograph) had a key role in the beautification of this area which was opposite her house, 'Beffens'.