VINTAGE LUNDIN LINKS AND LARGO
  • Blog

Largo's Gas Showroom

28/7/2023

2 Comments

 
Picture
Picture

The above photograph shows Harbour Wynd, heading south towards Lower Largo. The building at the corner with the black and white half-timbering was once Largo's Gas Showroom. Also once known as Gasworks Wynd or Toll Road, the Harbour Wynd showroom opened in 1935. The facility was adjacent to the gas retort house and cylinder and was owned by the Kennoway and Largo Gas Company, who quickly set about ingratiating themselves with the locals and the visitors in Largo. The piece below from the 20 August 1935 Leven Advertiser tells of how the manager installed a seat outside the showroom, overlooking Largo Bay, upon which were the words "to use more gas and enjoy more leisure".
​
Picture

The showroom would have had a variety of gas-powered appliances on display, including gas fires, cookers, refrigerators, washing machines, irons, water heaters and pokers for lighting coal fires. Some adverts for such products which appeared in the local press are shown below. The general public would have required some persuasion to try these new innovations after generations of coal based heating and cooking. Concerns about safety had to be allayed and the presence of a showroom in many small towns and villages helped with the transition to a cleaner, more efficient and labour-saving form of power. There was even a travelling gas showroom locally in the 1930s, bringing cookery lectures and demonstrations to places such as Leven, Buckhaven and East Wemyss. 

Picture

​Note the small cartoon character at the foot of several of the gas adverts above. This was 'Mr Therm' - a jolly character designed in 1933 by graphic designer Eric Fraser, which was used in the gas industry's advertising for around four decades. Mr Therm explained how gas worked, highlighted the benefits of using modern products and reminded people of the savings they could make by switching to gas. The slogan "Mr Therm burns to serve you" was often used.
​
Picture
Picture

Many small town and village gas showrooms was in inconspicuous, modest buildings such as Largo's and the example below from Biggar (which still exists as a museum). As well as being a place to view and order gas appliances (available for rent, hire-purchase or sale) the gas showroom was a place folks went to pay their gas bills or to have appliances repaired.
​
Picture

In 1965, Largo Gas Showroom was converted into a house and it is now known as Friday Cottage. These days, it is hard to imagine that this once had a shop front, a range of innovative home appliances on show and a queue of people waiting to pay their bills. If you have memories of the gas showroom, please leave a comment.
​
2 Comments

Glass Fishing Floats

14/7/2023

5 Comments

 
Picture

A popular decorative object today, glass fishing floats once had a practical use out at sea. Largo fishermen were among those who at one time made use of floats made of glass. Although cork and canvas floats were also commonly used in the days before the widespread use of plastic, glass orbs in a protective net offered an alternative option.  Known to have been used from 1840s in Norway, glass fishing floats are believed to have come into use in the UK much later (certainly by circa 1910). 

Now highly collectable, experts in glass floats are trying to learn more about the floats used around Scotland. In Largo stories abound of old glass floats being found in lofts or in basements. Do you have some or a photo of an authentic fishing float used locally? If you have seen one, do you recall what colour and shape these were and what size? Do you know anything about how they were used (what type(s) of fishing) and what period of time they were in use?  Where might locally used glass floats have been manufactured? Do you know anything about the process of covering the float with rope? Was this a skill that an ancestor of yours had?

Any snippet of information, no matter how small, would be welcome in the quest to understand more about these interesting objects.  Please leave a comment or get in touch using the 'Contact' option if you can help.


Picture
5 Comments

Church Rooms

7/7/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture

The photograph above of the former Church Rooms associated with Largo Parish Church was taken in 2021. Dating back to the early 18th century, the facility was for much of its history an ancillary building linked to Largo House. Note the traditional forestair leading to the upper entrance and the thackstane at the chimney base (suggesting an original thick thatched roof). The building was given to the Largo Kirk Session in 1935, by then owner of Largo Estate David Maitland Makgill Crichton. Presumably the building had become surplus to the requirements of the estate. During this era, Largo House had been let to a series of long-term tenants and at the time was occupied by John Key Hutchison, flour merchant.
​
Picture

One of the main uses of the Church Rooms was as a meeting place for the Sunday school. However, several other groups made regular use of the facility, which comprised a hall at the upper level and a smaller meeting space plus kitchen and WC on the ground floor. These groups included the Woman's Guild, Mothers' Union, Youth Fellowship, Largo Kirk Men's Association and the Church Choir, who held their practices there. Events such as an annual daffodil tea, annual sale of work, bring and buy sales, talks and annual general meetings took place within the venue. Some example events from over the years are shown below. Note that Mrs Hutchison of Largo House was the President of the Mothers' Union in the late 1930s. 

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

When Largo Parish Church completed the renovation of The Stables in 1970, the Church Rooms became a secondary hall space and was less in demand. In 1984 it was designated a category B listed building. Its listing description is as follows:

​Early 18th century with alterations. 2 storeys, 3 bays. Harled with some ashlar dressings. Entrance front originally 2 doors in left ground bay, one now window; central forestair to 1st floor door. 2 later 1st floor windows. South front altered fenestration to ground floor, 3 windows in weathered stone architraves to 1st. Straight skews with simply moulded skewputts, crowstepped skew to south-east. End stacks. Pantiled roof with straight skew and skewputt left and right (mutual with adjoining building). Rendered left and brick right end stacks.

Below are two 1970s black and white images of the property, front and back, from the Canmore Collection.
​
Picture
Picture

Largo Cricket Club made use of the facility as a pavilion in more recent decades before switching to a portacabin adjacent to their ground. When the Church undertook significant renovation work during 2016-17, it was recognised that the Church Rooms were not being used. Plus, when Largo Parish Church came into being on 15 November 2017, a result of a union between the linked charges of Largo and Newburn and Largo St David’s churches, the Church had the use of both The Stables and the Durham Hall. Accordingly, the Church Rooms building was handed back to Largo Estate. After nine decades of community use, the Church Rooms were in need of maintenance. The estate applied for planning permission to convert the facility into a dwelling house, replace the roof and carry out a series of renovations inside and out. Now residential accommodation for estate workers, the building has moved into the next chapter in its story.

0 Comments

    About

    This blog is about the history of the villages of Lundin Links, Lower Largo and Upper Largo in Fife, Scotland. Comments and contributions from readers are very welcome!

    Search

    There is no in-built search facility on this site. To search for content, go to Google and type your search words followed by "lundin weebly".

    Contact

    Categories

    All
    Antiquities
    Beach
    Boarding Houses
    Business
    Churches
    Clubs And Societies
    Drummochy
    Facilities
    Farming
    Fishing
    Golf
    Houses
    Keil's Den
    Largo Law
    Lower Largo
    Masseney Braes
    New Gilston
    People
    Railway
    School
    Shops
    Standing Stanes
    Streets
    Tourism
    Upper Largo
    Viaduct
    War

    Archives

    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013

    Links

    Largo Baywatch Blog
    Fife Family History Society
    ​
    Polish Parachute Brigade Info​

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.