I have posted the above painting before and in that earlier post queried if this was really Largo and, if so, where. Well mystery is finally solved - one year on. This is the site of what is now Edina View or 'The Barracks'. The photograph from 1885 (by Terras of Markinch) below proves this, as it shows the site when only the eastern half of Edina View had been built and the above old buildings were still there on the west side.
Comparing the detail of the two images (see below) we can see that the relative positioning of the old buildings and orientation of the gables ends match up. Half of the crow-stepped building on the left can be seen in the photograph too. The painted image seems so much more important now that its location is confirmed. This is what the seafront just to the east of the Crusoe Hotel looked like around 1880 and probably for a long time beforehand too. An irregular collection of buildings, made from local stone (taken mainly from the beach), very exposed to the sea - these buildings were probably in too poor condition to preserve. Nevertheless, it's a pity they had to go, as they are so full of character. Thankfully, they were captured in paint before the appearance of this stretch of coastline changed forever.
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