Unsurprisingly, Bridgend House in Lower Largo is located at the end of the railway viaduct. However, its name may pre-dates the 1857 viaduct, as it was opposite the earlier wooden footbridge over the Keil Burn. Probably built early in the 19th century, the house is made more characterful by the presence of its adjoining outbuildings. Now used as garages and stores, these buildings were originally stables and a coach house (see Fife Herald advert below from 1 June 1871). In fact, the group of buildings look remarkably similar in style to the old inn and stables at Lundin Links (the forerunner of the Lundin Links Hotel).
By c1900, when the image above was captured, the group of buildings had been established for some time as James Elder's carting business and coach hire. In the photograph above there are pigeon boxes just below the roof and it is clear that these are very much working buildings. The stable and coach house have undergone some structural changes over the decades. A second large opening for vehicles has been created, a new flat roof has been put on the lower building and a third smaller outbuilding which once adjoined to the left has been demolished completely (see image at foot of post). But the fact that these relics of the past have survived so long beyond the end of the era of horse-based travel is wonderful.
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