Blog Archives

Largo Law - Beacon Hill

31/10/2013

Largo Law rises sharply to a height of around 950ft above the farmland to the North East of Lundin Links. The remains of an ancient volcano, Largo Law was once a 'beacon hill'. For thousands of years, all over the world, hill tops have been used for keeping watch and for signalling warnings with fire. Over time, beacon warning systems would have become more co-ordinated and controlled. An iron fire basket or stone built turret would have been filled with combustible material ready to blaze up when ignited.

Someone would have manned the site, watching for contiguous warning signals to be lit. The Largo Law site may have been looking towards the Lomonds or Kellie Law for signals. The word 'Lomond' means beacon or blaze of light. Sometimes codes (eg one, two or three fires) may have been used to show the level of danger or the type of action required. The beacons may also have had a role in aiding navigation at sea. Of course, such beacons were dependent upon fine weather for visibility.

Just for fun, a mock up (left) of a beacon lit on Largo Law!

More on beacons / bonfires tomorrow.

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1964 Open Golf Qualifying

30/10/2013

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Lundin Golf Club acts as a final qualifying golf course for the Open Championship when it's held in St Andrews. Back in 1964, Welshman Dai Rees drew a crowd at the qualifiers there (see images above and below). By then in his 50s, Rees did qualify and finished the Open in joint 38th place. Three years earlier he had narrowly missed out on the 1961 British Open title, finishing one stroke behind Arnold Palmer. In 1957 he had captained the Ryder Cup team which brought the title back to Europe after 22 years. If you have memories or images of other qualifiers held in Lundin Links, please comment or Contact us.

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David Murdoch Patrick

29/10/2013

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In June 1896, David Patrick resigned from his post as greenkeeper at the Royal Wimbledon Golf Club, and returned to his native Fife to set up as a maker of golf clubs in the house and workshop adjacent to the Lundin Golf Club (now 7 Golf Road). He was part of a family of golf club makers. His father, John Patrick, had a thriving business in Leven, before dying suddenly during an outbreak of Cholera in 1866. Three of John Patrick's sons went on to become golf club makers themselves - the eldest, Alexander, being the best known. He continued the Leven business.

David worked for many years in Lundin Links at his house (then named 'Links View') and workshop on Golf Road (see left) - a stone's throw away from the Club House- before retiring. He died there at the age of 90 in 1948.

Do you know more about David Patrick? Do you have any of the clubs or balls that were made in Lundin Links? If so, please comment.

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New in 1905

28/10/2013

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When this postcard was sent in 1905, everything looked rather neat and new at the junction of Victoria Road and Station Road (now Links Road). Today there are mature trees and hedges, road markings and usually a few cars around. This view pre-dates the construction of the building that was to become Peacehaven (built a couple of years later to the right). The oldest building is the one in the centre on Crescent Road - the 19th Century symmetrical pair named Fir Park and Braddan.

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Park Terrace and Norvil Road

27/10/2013

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A couple more 'lost' street names from the village. A small section of Links Road (near the Pharmacy) has a Park Terrace 'ghost sign'. Do you remember this name being used? Do you know when its use ceased?

Also, a small section of Victoria Road, close to the junction with Crescent Road, used to be called 'Norvil Road' after the house named 'Norvil' (which is to the right of the view below). The change to make this section of road part of Victoria Road must have been quite recent, as a 1996 street map still shows Norvil Road. If you know why this change took place, please comment!

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Station Road No More

26/10/2013

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The present Links Road in Lundin Links was originally named Station Road. Stretching from the junction with the Post Office and Lundin Links Hotel down to the Lundin Golf Course today, it originally connected the Train Station to the Inn and Toll House. Clearly, the decision to rename it was taken at some point soon after the station closed in 1965. The reason for changing the name may seem unusual when so many other towns and villages with closed stations retained their 'Station Roads'. Perhaps it was simply to clarify that this is the route to the links golf course, which is a little tucked away from the main road. If you know more or know exactly when the name change took place, please comment.

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M. Bremner

25/10/2013

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On 4 June 1896, the Glasgow Herald reported that the "Post Office authorities had sanctioned the erection of a branch Post Office at Lundin Links". The article commented upon how this would benefit both locals and "the many summer visitors". Opened later that year, the Post Office, run by Miss Bremner, clearly catered well for visitors - as shown by the above advert. It was the place to contact for information on houses to let for the season. Plus, thanks to the "great variety" of picture postcards of local views, we can see for ourselves what the village looked like back then (as many postcards still survive).

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Lundin Links Post Office

24/10/2013

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The Post Office in Lundin Links has been on its current site since it first came into existence in 1896. The above image shows P.O. and adjacent shops sometime during their first decade of operation. The sign above the Post Office reads 'M. Bremner'. The photograph below is a similar view taken in 1990 - a time when cigarette advertising was still a common sight on such shops.

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1990 Shops

23/10/2013

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Bringing things a bit more up-to-date. This 1990 view of the Leven Road shops shows the Bank still is its prominent position on the corner (it appears to have expanded since the 1970s view). One antique shop still features, but under a different name. The Newsagent at this time went by the name 'Paper Box' and the former grocer to its left had become an engineer's office. The Butcher, Hairdresser and Post Office completed the line up.

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1970s Shops

22/10/2013

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This is the era of my earliest memories of Lundin Links! As a youngster I never set foot in the antique shops but remember them as being quite intriguing. I was often in the Newsagent run by the Jurecki's (for comics, sweets or to return Barr's bottles) and Post Office run by the Goodall's (for ice lollies and cream cakes). As I grew older I'd be sent an errand to the Bob the Butcher's or Stebbing's Pharmacy.

There was a small hardware store on Emsdorf Street called MacMillan's. Usually we would buy things like batteries there but one day a small swan ornament caught my eye, so I saved up my pocket money to buy it. I still have it . This shop (since demolished) hung a 'Pink Paraffin' sign like the one below in the window, which I always liked. If you have memories of the local shops - please share them by commenting!