Category: Business - VINTAGE LUNDIN LINKS AND LARGO

VINTAGE LUNDIN LINKS AND LARGO

Motor Car at Largo House

24/10/2025

The photograph above, which was also published as a postcard, features a striking looking motor car waiting at the entrance of Largo House. The image also features a couple sitting on a bench and another person on the entrance stairs. However, it is the car which particularly catches the eye and back on 18 September 1974, the East Fife Mail posed the question - what was the type and date of the vintage vehicle?

The answer was quickly forthcoming from Miss Elizabeth Tavendale Sime of North Feus, Upper Largo. The car belonged to long-term tenant of Largo House, Benjamin Connell Cox and it was a Daimler purchased in 1909. Her father, Charles Sime (a joiner by trade who worked for Cox) had accompanied Mr Cox's chauffeur to England to collect the vehicle. The image below shows the same convertible Daimler in more detail - chauffeur at the wheel and multiple female passengers on board (perhaps the ladies of the Cox family). The Daimler was the motor car brand of choice of the royal family at the time and was advertised as "the motor triumph of the Edwardian era". It was a car that was well-matched to the grandeur of Largo House. Further below is an advert for a very similar model of Daimler.

Benjamin Cox, along with his wife and four children, then ranging in age from 3 to 13, took up residence in Largo House in the summer of 1904 (see 24 June East of Fife Record piece below). The tweed and woollen manufacturer from Selkirk, had retired to St Andrews prior to taking up the tenancy of Largo House, where the family remained until 1911. Benjamin was Captain of Lundin Golf Club 1909-11. The family moved to Gilston House in 1911 before returning to Largo House in 1919, where Benjamin died in 1924. The chauffeur for the Cox family was George Bell.

Largo House Interior

10/10/2025

The grand exterior of Largo House, now sadly obscured by vegetation, is familiar to many, from both images and from memory. The interior of this now ruinous mansion house however remains more mysterious. Photographs taken inside the house while still occupied appear to be non-existent. It's intriguing to imagine how the inside might have appeared when the house was first completed back in the 18th century. So, what can be pieced together from looking at similar grand homes of that era and from the few fragments of Largo House-specific information that survive?

A typical Scottish Georgian mansion featured distinct "upstairs" and "below stairs" areas. The upstairs public rooms were richly decorated and furnished - suitable for aristocratic living and for elegant social functions. Conversely, the areas inhabited by hard-working domestic staff were simple and practical. Rooms such as the drawing room, dining room and bedrooms were designed with a focus on symmetry, light, space and comfort. A sense of the floor plan of the original core of Largo House is provided by the drone photograph below. Note the central stair hall surrounded by many chimney flues.

Surviving records suggest a colourful and luxurious interior existed when Largo House was new. One room, described as the "low red room" was "partly hung with arras". Arras is a tapestry hung as a wall decoration, usually with a rich and complex stitched design. The term is derived from the French city of Arras, which was a major centre of tapestry production in the 14th and 15th centuries. There was a "blue room" where the bed was hung with "blue turk hangings" (turk being a type of fabric used in upholstery at the time), as well as a "green room". There was a "mid room" and a "high mid room" (which, unusually for the time, was hung with tartan at the foot of the bed).

Accounts dating to 1766, from Young and Trotter, the Edinburgh upholsterer and carpeting merchant, detail that Largo House was supplied with "blue and orange carpeting", as well as "window curtains of cherry" with "yellow tassels". The Drawing Room was furnished with "blue silk damask chairs". Damask is a reversible, woven fabric that features a distinct pattern created by a special weave. Named after the city of Damascus, where it was produced in the Middle Ages, damask was originally made from silk. Used for upholstery, curtains, and table linens, its pattern features a contrast between matte and shiny yarns.

There were also references to a "bed hung with red cambrot" and an "easie chair covered with yellow silk". A "large fine staircase lantern" was also ordered for the house from Young and Trotter. The image collages above and below are designed to evoke a sense of what the interior of Largo House might have looked like during the late 18th century - incorporating some of the known objects, colours and textures.

The advert below for Largo House furnisher Young and Trotter appeared in the 22 November 1750 Caledonian Mercury. Based at the Luckenbooths on the High Street Edinburgh, the firm was established in the 1740s by Thomas Trotter and Robert Young. The sign above their shop, and the eye catcher in the advert below, featured a pelican bleeding from the breast to feed her young.

Another supplier of interiors to Largo House was William Hamilton, the Edinburgh upholsterer and cabinet maker. James Durham commissioned furniture from him in 1769/70 - including a large mahogany bedstead. Hamilton was a competitor to Young and Trotter, although eventually the two firms combined. While still operating under his own name, William Hamilton is known to have executed commissions for the Duke of Argyll (1758-61), Lord Milton (1764-5), Sir James Clerk (1770-2) and Balfour Ramsay (1768-9), as well as James Durham of Largo (1769-70).

It is also well-documented that architect John Adam (brother of Robert Adam) supplied a chimney piece for Largo House. The specification on the account (which was dated May 1759), was "statuary marble" (that is marble of exceptional quality - literally meaning suitable for statues). Further details of the piece specified "ogee moulding" (a decorative trim with an S-shaped profile which features a concave curve that flows into a convex curve) and "dentils" (small, tooth-like rectangular blocks arranged in a repeating pattern).

No doubt there would have been many paintings on the walls, including family portraits and pieces by favourite Scottish artists. These would have been added to over the years that the Durham family inhabited Largo House, which was up until 1868, when the Largo estate was sold to William Johnson of Lathrisk. If you have further information on the interior of Largo House in its heyday please do get in touch or leave a comment.

Genesis Creations

3/10/2025

The previous post looked at the building above on Mill Wynd in Lundin Links, which was built in 1973 as Scotland's first custom-designed silversmith studio. When it was vacated in the late 1980s, a new creative enterprise moved in - Genesis Creations Limited - makers of hand painted figurines. The origins of that enterprise dated back to 1986, when St Andrews-born sculptress Carol Lynn Penny (pictured below) and her partner Neil Campbell, began to make Nesslets (dragons hatching from eggs). They initially sold these through a couple of outlets, including the Loch Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit. Successful sales there led to the establishment of Genesis Creations in August 1987.

Support from North East Fife Enterprise Trust and others enabled Genesis to purchase the studio in Lundin Links, which they moved into in May 1988. Over the next few months, the company grew from 3 to 15 employees. The article above, from the 19 October 1988 Scotsman, charted the story of the company's growth. At the time the workshop's capacity was several thousand pieces a month, with a range of 23 different models. As well as selling through a growing number of stockists within the UK, Genesis sent products to Germany, Japan, Canada, the USA, Norway, Spain, Austria and Switzerland.

The range of products comprised fantasy creatures, from the original Nesslets (hatching dragons), to Draglets (fully grown dragons) and Mins (tiny animals in shells), as well as a heritage collection, which included models of real life castles. The Nesslets became the best known range and were produced in red and green. Carol Lynn Penny acted as Creative Director for the expanding business. The Dundee Courier of 9 November 1988 also covered the growth of Genesis Creations. The photograph below of Carol and Neil inside the Lundin Links studio appeared, along with the news that orders totalling over £80,000 had resulted from a trip to the recent Highland Trade Fair in Aviemore.

By 1990, with large numbers of people calling into the studio, and a lack of display space to show the wide range of products, the Mill Wynd premises underwent extensive alterations. A new Dragon Showroom (seen above) opened to the public and trade. Collectors from around the world would write or phone asking to visit the studio - keen to watch the creation of a piece that they already owned or were considering buying. The showroom also offered retailers looking to stock products an opportunity to view the full range of designs (which at the time numbered around 100 options). The office also held a list of approximately 1000 stockists in the UK and the showroom was open seven days a week between 09:30 and 17:00.

According to the 6 December 1990 Dundee Courier, the sculpting was often undertaken in wax, which was used to create a silicone mould. From the mould, a figurine was cast using various powdered rocks, including marble, limestone and other ingredients. Afterwards, there were a number of finishing stages, before the pieces were hand-painted by a team of artists. Carol explained that new ideas began with a sketch and that there was much experimentation with colour and material before a new piece was finalised. Neil provided the expertise on the technical side, including innovative casting methods. By the end of 1990, it was reported that there were around 50 employees.

The new designs being created for 1991 were known collectively as the Geomites - with individual characters named Orbit, Cubit, Tribit and Tubit - each creature locked into a different geometric shaped base. Other products available included gargoyles, fantasy castles and dragonets in a range of poses (on rocks, candles, oysters, books, etc.). A short mythical backstory tended to accompany each piece.

Unfortunately, the early 1990s was a period of recession and the business hit financial problems. Genesis Creations folded in 1991 but some of its products were taken over by Clarecraft, another company which produced fantasy figurines. Some dragons continued to be made by Clarecraft until its closure in 2005. Do you have a Genesis creation? Did you visit the workshop? Comments welcome.

Silversmith Workshop

26/9/2025

Did you know that the first custom-designed silversmith studio in Scotland was built in Lundin Links at Mill Wynd back in 1973? This blog will tell the story of how that came about and the man behind it. Alistair Norman Grant, pictured below, was born on 18 November 1943 in Forres, Moray. After school, he attended Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen, where he studied under silversmithing lecturer David Hodge, who Norman later credited with fostering his "interest in nature in its many forms as a source of designs". Leaving in 1966 with a D.A. in Silversmithing, initially Norman took a teacher training course in Dundee, followed by a teaching job at Auchmuty High School in Glenrothes. Continuing to make jewellery in his spare time, in 1967 he started his own business, from his garden shed.

Image above from 1 March 1969 Scottish Field

Early in 1968 a house named Largo Lea was advertised for sale in Lundin Links. Accessed from Emsdorf Street and backing onto Hillhead Lane this 1907-built semi-detached dwelling was adjacent to its mirror-image Highclere. The "large basement" and and proximity to the sea must have been especially attractive for Norman, who bought the house, set up home there with his wife and young daughter and created a workshop in the basement. In fact, the seller and previous occupant of the house had been another artist - James Hardie, a painter and poet.

Largo Lea was renamed Silverwells and from the house Norman ran a summer school programme from the workshop each July, from 1969 for seven years, which attracted students from around the world. The advert above appeared in the Scotsman newspaper of 3 May 1969 and the one below in the same newspaper on 13 February 1973. The latter notes that Norman appeared on a BBC1 programme called Scope that same week (a monthly BBC Scotland arts TV series that began in 1970).

In an interview in 1969 for Scottish Field Norman explained "enamelling really is my first love. I'd be perfectly happy to concentrate entirely on this but obviously to produce a wide range I must include pieces which are wholly silver with some half silver and half enamel." Silver was preferred to gold as its white light qualities showed through the enamels better that the yellow hue of gold. Having always lived near the coast, many of Norman's jewellery designs reflected the natural shapes and details seen by the sea, as well as in the wider natural environment - from flowers and petals, to seed heads and microscopic plant cell structures, from seaweed and driftwood to fish and waves.

The piece above appeared in the 16 October 1970 Dundee Courier. In this article Norman jokes about being destined to be a silversmith because his initials were AG - silver's symbol in the periodic table. He also talks about his efforts to establish his fledgling company, having to work seven days a week and having more requests than he could cope with. In the early 1970s interest in contemporary jewellery was flourishing and Norman's work in great demand. He took on two apprentices - Don Beaton and Robin Mackie. Soon he was in need of larger premises for the team to work in.

Norman's father had retired to Lundin links and it was upon a plot that he owned (which had previously had garages on it) that a new workshop was built. Working closely with a local architect on the design, Norman ensured that the new workshop was perfectly suited to the needs of his business. Being located where it was on Mill Wynd, it was handily located close to Silverwells - a couple of minutes walk away.

In the planning for around a year, the workshop was completed in April 1973 and became Scotland's first custom-built silversmith workshop. The premises had a practical and efficient split-level design. This comprised an upper gallery level which incorporated an office, and a showroom. From there, visitors could browse designs, while also viewing members of the team at work below in the workshop, which had large south-facing windows. The new facility cost £8,000.

The above item from the 18 July 1973 East Fife Mail an early silver and enamel design made in the Mill Wynd workshop, which was taken down to London to go on display at the Design Centre. The new workshop and growing business went from strength to strength - employing 15 people by 1975. The following year, 1976, saw the founding of 'Dust Jewellery' - a joint venture between Norman Grant and John Flegg. In 1977, the firm designed and made the silver match box from which came the match that Queen Elizabeth II lit the first of a nationwide chain of 102 beacons to mark her Silver Jubilee.

'Dust' combined the traditional skills of the silversmith with new technology and a new range of titanium pieces was developed. The firm's workspace expanded into the buildings across the street and elsewhere in the village. As the above insert states "the colours on the titanium are achieved by causing an electric current to pass through the metal creating an illusion as changeable as a peacock's feather or as subtle as the iridescence from oil on water".

In the early 1980s, Norman Grant left to work for DeBeers, however, Dust Jewellery continued. The 6 September 1986 Dundee Courier item above reported on their imminent move to a new 10,000 square feet factory on the Eastfield Industrial Estate in Glenrothes. Meanwhile, the workshop in Lundin Links was taken over by Genesis Creations where dragon egg ornaments were produced by Carol Lynn Penny from May 1988. More on that in the next blog.

Catalogue images above and further images below courtesy of Terence Maguire.

Ballingall's Shores of Fife

29/8/2025

Shores of Fife by William Ballingall was published on 7 October 1872. It was printed by T. and A. Constable of Edinburgh and published by Edinburgh-based Edmonston and Douglas. The volume was dedicated to Sir Robert Anstruther of Balcaskie, Bart., M.P. who was the Lord Lieutenant of Fife. The preface, written from William Ballingall's home at 35 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh (indicated on the photograph below), speaks of the author's "love of his native county" and "desire to promote the art of Engraving on Wood". It also references the "Subscribers" who had to be patient while Largo-born Ballingall completed his research and drawings.

Indeed the amount of research and quantity of illustrations within the book was considerable. was a "labour of love, in which he wrought incessantly for four or five years". Subject matter covered included the archaeology of Fife, the mineralogy of Fife, the Flora of Fife and Kinross and in-depth accounts of several Fife towns and stretches of coastline. Content was contributed by a number of experts - for example Charles Howie wrote the section on flora - but Ballingall himself compiled the chapter on Largo Law and Its Neighbourhood. Within this part of the book, Ballingall writes about Lower Largo being the birthplace of Alexander Selkirk, about Sir Andrew Wood, Sir Philip Durham and Sir John Leslie.

The one hundred original illustrations in the book, draw upon the work of various artists. Some of the illustrations were both drawn and engraved by Ballingall. Other artworks were created by others then used as the basis for an engraving by Ballingall. A few were entirely the work of contributors. The many artistic contributions of William himself include representations of St Andrews Cathedral, the Lomond Hills, St Monance Castle and Church and Falkland Palace. His larger scale engravings were signed W Ballingall SC. The "SC" is a Latin abbreviation for sculpsit, meaning "he/she carved it,"

Smaller scale pieces tend to include only a subtle WB towards the foot of the engraving. Of course all of the Largo-related images were both drawn and engraved by Ballingall himself. Those pieces include the Standing Stones of Lundin, Largo Parish Church, Alexander Selkirk's Cottage (as well as specifically his sea-chest and cocoa-nut cup), Andrew Wood's Tower and Pitcruvie (Balcruvie) Castle.

William received high praise for Shores of Fife, noting his "softness and delicacy of touch, for the wonderful manipulation of light and shade" (Dundee People's Journal 12 Oct 1872). He reached the highest capability in wood engraving and we can still enjoy the results of his painstaking artistic endeavours (and the effort of his printers and publishers) today. William Ballingall followed Shores of Fife with further books featuring his artwork: Scenes of Scottish Story (1874) and Edinburgh Past and Present (1877).

You can read more about the life of William Ballingall (1840-1919) here and more about his artistic brothers John Ballingall and Alexander Ballingall in previous blog posts.

United Free Church Building in Upper Largo

15/8/2025

The last two posts have looked at the two ministers of the United Free Church in Upper Largo. Between the two of them, Rev. Robert Lundin Brown and Rev. William Bruce led the church across 74 years and were the only two clergymen to head up the church during its existence. The congregation was formed in 1843 as a result of the Disruption. A proportion of members of Largo Kirk struck out on their own, and finding ground to the west end of the main street, initially built a "hall of wood". The early church structure was soon replaced with something more substantial - a building which had three roofs, like the historical Tanfield Hall (the site in Edinburgh where the very first assembly of the Free Church of Scotland took place on 18 May 1843). The piece below from 21 August 1862 Fifeshire Journal reports upon the reopening of the church following alterations and repairs by Reverend Robert Candlish (a leading light in the Free Church - more of whom to follow in another post).

The year 1879 brought a significant remodelling of the church. The building closed in May and reopened for worship in late October. The 31 October 1879 Daily Review below, provided detail of these works. The gables were raised to allow for a higher and better supported slated roof. A large window was added to the frontage (as seen in the photograph at the top of this post) and some sources suggest that the church's bell had the distinction of being the biggest in the Parish. The interior was also given an overhaul with several modern conveniences added. Much of the work was undertaken by local joiner Peter Broomfield. This time around the official re-opening was conducted by Reverend James Chalmers Burns, Moderator of the General Assembly at the time. Some two decades later, in 1899, a new organ was installed, with a liberal contribution from William Robinson Ketchen, manager of the National Bank, who was a member of the congregation.

The death of Reverend William Bruce marked the beginning of a long vacancy, during which congregation were brought under the oversight of Reverend James Ewing of Lathones. Ewing left Lathones for Glasgow in 1923, where he worked for ten years before a further move to Dalkeith. [Ewing died in 1954 following a collapse in his vestry after a service (see 18 October 1954 Edinburgh Evening News piece below).]

The combination of a long vacancy due to a shortage of ministers, and the loss of Ewing, led to the ultimate demise of the Free Church in Largo. The office bearers and members decided to dissolve the church (see 12 April Fife Free Press above). The final service took place in the church in April 1924. Some of those present recalled the time when Bruce succeeded Lundin Brown and one of the oldest members was noted as having been baptised in the church just four years after it was first built.

The funds and property of the congregation were left to the General Trustees of the United Free Church. A couple of months later, the 28 June 1924 Fifeshire Advertiser (above) noted that it was problematic to find an alternative use for the building. In fact the building lay empty for many years before an agreement was reached in September 1933 to sell it to David Ramage and the place was converted into a garage. The frontage was remodelled, so that the building had a less church-like appearance. It was only the rear aspect of the building which gave away its original use (and that remains the case to this day).

Summer Entertainment

11/7/2025

From the 1910s until the 1930s, the highlight of the summer season in Largo was the entertainment at the Pier Pavilion. The 1930s postcard image above shows that performances were scheduled for 3:15 and 8:15 at that particular time. The huge size of the sign advertising the show times suggests that promoters were keen that this information could be seen from up at Largo Station high above the pier, as well as from the passing buses. Perhaps the afternoon performance was more family-friendly in style, while the evening show was tailored for an older audience.

The image below provides a glimpse of the bench seating that was available to the audience. In fact there were two categories of seating on offer, for at least some of the pavilion's history - individual deck chairs at the front for a higher price and benches behind for the everyone else. The enclosure could accommodate up to 300 persons. Of course folks could try to escape paying altogether by loitering outside the fenced area. These non-ticket holders were pursued at regular intervals by can rattling members of the company.

In the photograph below the seating has been removed and there's a sense that the season may be over. The structure was dismantled at the end of summer and stored over the winter months. At least three different versions of this 'alfresco entertainments stance' were used over the decades. Ahead of each season, adverts were placed in publications such as The Stage for entertainers to let the stance, which came with dressing room facilities. Everything from song and dance to ventriloquism and stand-up comedy graced the stage, along with all manner of musical instruments.

As the volume of motor traffic grew over time, concerns about the safety of the crowds near the road were aired. The
25 June 1935 Leven Advertiser item below highlighted the dangers associated with the crowds leaving the pavilion at night onto the narrow harbour bridge and surrounding streets. The suggestion of widening the road never came to pass and the pier pavilion itself became a casualty of changing times and tastes.

As a footnote, spot the detail in the image below, including the bus stop sign hanging from the lamp post on the left hand side and the other bus stop sign at the start of the road bridge. On the Crusoe Hotel wall there is both a noticeboard and a taller board incorporating a clock, as well as the classic image of Robinson Crusoe on the hotel sign. Finally there is an old street lamp holder to the right of the hotel wall.

Andrew Baird, Butcher and Carter

4/7/2025

The pair of images of Largo Kirk and Church Place above show that, while the appearance of the area is little changed in over a century, the way that this space is used has altered quite significantly. The green in front of the church was once a hub of village life, with its communal water pump and drying green. Theses features stand out in the foreground of the 1890s photograph, captured by Lady Henrietta Gilmour of Montrave, one of Scotland's earliest women photographers. Her photographic collection is now held by St Andrews University and the image is courtesy of University of St Andrews Libraries and Museums.

The buildings of Church Place were not just dwellings, as they are today. There are signs clearly legible on two of the buildings in the older photograph. One advertises A. Baird Butcher Carriages for Hire, and another A. Wilson Plumber, Tinsmith and Ironmonger. A number of buildings in the vicinity contained businesses (and smelly, noisy ones at that). The engraving below, drawn by James Stewart and engraved by Joseph Swan for the ‘History of the County of Fife’, by John Leighton 1840, also gives an impression of a bustling area where people carried out their occupations as well as lived. The village green hosted cattle, sheep, chickens and ducks.

One of the enterprises featured in the 1890s photograph was Andrew Baird's butcher (and carriages for hire). Andrew was born around 1848, as he is noted as aged 3 in the 1851 census. He was the illegitimate son of John Baird (a Methil based flax dresser) and Elspeth Keddie, who was likely employed in the same flax works. By the time of the 1861 census, Andrew was working in the mill, alongside his mother and brother. In 1871 he had changed both occupation and residence, and was an agricultural labourer, based at Balgrummo Farm near Scoonie.

As an agricultural labourer, Andrew would have moved from farm to farm. Eventually he met Margaret Lawson, with whom he had a child in 1873 in Leuchars. The pair went on the marry in 1876 (and eventually had a further thirteen children). By 1881, Andrew and Margaret had settled in Kirkton of Largo, where Andrew was working as a carter. The family, with four children at the time, lived on Main Street close to McGregor the butcher.

A few years later, in the mid-1880s the opportunity to move into the butcher trade arose, when another Kirkton butcher, David Simpson, moved to Lundin Mill's Hillhead Street. Andrew Baird took over Simpson's vacated premises at Church Place and was recorded there at the 1891 census along with his wife and nine children. Perhaps Andrew had learned some relevant skills from his time working on farms. However, his time as a butcher (or flesher) was not always smooth running. The piece below from 22 December 1888 Fife News tells us that Baird was prosecuted for the foul state of his pig styes.

The following year he was charged with possession of a dog without a license (see 24 May 1889 East of Fife Record below). Further below the 20 August 1890 Commercial Gazette recorded that Andrew Baird was in front of the debt recovery court.

In 1894, the butcher premises in Church Place, consisting of a shop, house, stable, byre, etc., was put up for sale (see 1 September 1894 St Andrews Citizen below). This was the same year that Andrew and Margaret Baird's twin infant daughters Elsie and Oona died, aged nine months, from croup, within days of one another. The Baird family relocated to Lundin Mill, at a time when the village was on the cusp of expansion. The 1901 census finds the family living at 3 Rossini Place, just off Emsdorf Street, very close to the newly completed Lundin Links Hotel and the Lundin Links shops. Andrew was working as a carting contractor, assisted by his 13 year old son Andrew. Margaret and three of their younger children completed the household. Andrew rented a stable on Hillhead Street from the widow of butcher David Simpson (whose premises he had taken on a decade beforehand).

After a lengthy period of illness, Andrew died at Rossini Place on 12 March 1907. His widow, Margaret continued to live at Rossini Place. In the 1911 census she lived there with three of her sons, Andrew (who was a coal miner), John (a colliery pony-driver below ground) and Thomas (shop assistant at a licensed grocer), as well as a 9 year old grandson, also named Andrew. Below is the family headstone, which Andrew shares with his wife Margaret Lawson (who died in 1923) and their two daughters who died in infancy - twins Elsie and Oona.

Birkmyre Bowl

27/6/2025

The Birkmyre Bowl is the trophy played for annually at the Lundin Open - an individual open golf tournament held at Lundin Golf Club. The tournament was inaugurated in 1950, so this year marks its 75th anniversary. The trophy was presented by Ian Tyson Birkmyre in honour of his late father, William George Birkmyre, who had been an enthusiastic member of the club. The piece below from the 21 June 1950 Leven Mail reported that the winner of the first annual Open Tournament, from an entry of 130, was local golfer Robert Oswald.

William Birkmyre was born on 12 December 1877 in Kells, Kirkcudbrightshire. He was the son of John Birkmyre (who was a miller at the time) and his wife Margaret McGill. The family soon moved to Tongland where John became a fisherman and William and his siblings went to school. Later the family moved to Glasgow, where William found work as an upholsterer, while his father worked as an undertaker's clerk. William married Jane Gunn Taylor in 1911 and by the time of the census later that year, William and Jane were living in the Hillhead area of Glasgow, with William recorded as an upholsterer for a house furnisher.

By 1921, the couple had moved to Great George Street and had two children, daughter Georgie Murray Taylor Birkmyre and son Ian Tyson Birkmyre. William was now an Upholstery Works Manager for Wylie and Lochhead Limited, a successful furniture manufacturer. Founded in 1829 by Robert Wylie and William Lochhead, the company grew from an upholstering and cabinetmaking business into a leader in interior design, yacht-fitting, and fine furniture. At the 1901 Glasgow International Exhibition, the company's Glasgow Style pieces were showcased (such as the example shown below). A distinctive take on the Art Nouveau movement, the popularity of these pieces endures to this day when they come up for sale at auctions and antique dealers.

Like many Glasgow (or Edinburgh) businessmen, William took a holiday home by the sea. For much of the 1930s he rented part of Rollo Villa at the Temple, Lower Largo. It also appears that his son, Ian Tyson Birkmyre, had settled in Lundin Links. Both William and Ian joined Lundin Golf Club. In 1936, William became a non-resident member of the club's council (see 28 July 1936 extract from the Leven Mail below) while still being primarily Glasgow-based.

William George Birkmyre died on 12 June 1946, aged 68, while staying at Westcliffe on Crescent Road, Lundin Links. His main residence was Westbourne House, Glasgow (pictured above). The 19 June 1946 Leven Mail noted the death of this "well known residenter" who was "held in much esteem". His son, Ian Birkmyre continued to be active at Lundin Golf Club, presenting the Birkmyre Bowl in his father's memory in 1950, and becoming Club Captain 1955-57.

The annual tournament in memory of William Birkmyre grew in popularity over the years. In 1968 the bowl was lifted by local coal merchant and Lundin member Jack Thomson, when he outplayed a field of 180, which included entries from as far afield as Canada and Kenya. The following year Ian Ness of Earlsferry Thistle took the bowl. In the photo above, Ian Birkmyre is pictured on the far left (11 June 1969 Leven Mail). For many years, Ian Birkmyre was on hand to make the presentation of the bowl, appearing in many photographs in the local newspaper. In 1971 the youngest ever winner was 17-year-old David Smith, pictured below from the 9 June Leven Mail. The George Watson's pupil and son of Dr A.N.W. Smith of Lundin Links won the title with a "best of a lifetime" around of 70.

In 1972, Alan Campbell of Glenrothes was victorious and he is seen in the image above receiving the bowl from Ian Birkmyre (7 June Leven Mail). Ian Tyson Birkmyre died in 1988 at the age of 75. All four of the Birkmyre family - William, Jane, Ian and Georgie - are buried at Largo Cemetery. On the headstone, pictured below, are the words "All laid to rest in this place. Sleep well."

John Pearson Douglas Ferrier (1884-1917)

20/6/2025

John Pearson Douglas Ferrier was born on 25 July 1884 at James Street, in the Pilrig are of Edinburgh, to James Douglas Ferrier, a commercial traveller and grocer's son, and Janet Ferrier (nee Middlemass). Janet, who had two older daughters, had been widowed when her first husband died of tuberculosis. By 1891, the family had moved to from James Street to nearby Montgomery Street. James had become a Grocer's Assistant and the family appear to have been living above the shop. John Ferrier attended Leith Walk Public School (pictured below). The map further below shows the proximity of those locations:

1. James Street
2. Biscuit Factory (for which James may have acted as a commercial traveller)
3. Montgomery Street
4. Leith Walk Public School

Interestingly, just a few doors down from the Ferriers (who were at 111 Montgomery Street) lived Largo-born artist Alexander Ballingall at number 99. By the time of 1901 census James had his own Grocer's shop and the family had moved to live at the opposite side of the street, still very close to Ballingall, who surely must have frequented their shop. In the household there were James, Janet and John, plus Janet's daughter from her first marriage and her three children, who were visiting. A 16-year-old John Ferrier was working as an Apprentice Clerk. However, at this point the family were on the brink of relocation to Largo - a place to which they had no obvious connection. Could it have been Alexander Ballingall that put Largo on their radar?

James Ferrier set up as a grocer and provision merchant in Upper Largo next to Robert Melville the plumber, Peter Cowie's chemist and Thomas Black's shoe and boot warehouse in the part of Main Street shown above. John acted as his assistant. The 1911 census finds James, Janet and John (now aged 26) living at Crichton Place. The building that housed their shop can be seen in the far left of the old postcard image above. Demolished long ago, only the old ridge line of the roof remains today.

James Ferrier's business must have been successful, as the advert above appeared in the 6 June 1912 Leven Advertiser. James "removed to new and commodious premises at the west end Upper Largo". The notice stated that he had been in business in the village for eleven years at this point. The photograph below shows the two different shop premises - the new one in the foreground, next door to the United Free Church and his original shop close to the junction with St Andrews Road. The newer shop building, west of the entrance to North Feus, was also demolished long ago.

Two years later, in 1914, the First World War broke out. John Ferrier was attested under the Derby scheme. and called up in October 1916. He became a Private (No. 267309) with 1/6th (Territorial) Battalion The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). He served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from June 1917. Sadly, John was killed in action near Ypres on 16 September 1917, while preparing for the British offensive on the 20th of the month. He was 33 years old. The piece below was published in the 27 September Leven Advertiser. The notice of death further below was published in the 29 September St Andrews Citizen.

John was buried at New Irish Farm Cemetery near Ypres. At the time of his death, Major C.H. Maxwell wrote to his parents "I have heard how uncomplainingly your son stuck out the hardships of the trenches, and also how bravely you have done your part...He was an honour to the regiment and has died in the tartan." A comrade also wrote saying that the whole company looked on him as the one who would help in any trouble, and added that whenever any difficulty or trouble arose it was always "Let's tell Ferrier".

John Pearson Douglas Ferrier is one of the 51 men who fell in the First World War named on Largo War Memorial. His name can be seen fourth from top in the photograph above and is noted as D. Ferrier (suggesting that he was actually known by his middle name Douglas). His mother, Janet Ferrier, died the following year aged 74, on 11 December 1918, at home on Upper Largo's Main Street. James Ferrier lived until 16 September 1923. When he died aged 77 at North Feus, the official informant of his death was his friend the joiner Agnew Broomfield.

The Victory Medal belonging to Private J.P.D. Ferrier is pictured below. The medal shows the winged figure of victory on one side and the words THE GREAT WAR FOR CIVILISATION 1914-1919 surrounded by a laurel wreath on the other. The medal is bronze, circular and 36 millimetres (1.4 in) in diameter. The recipient's name, rank, service number and unit were impressed on the edge of the medal. This particular medal was issued in 1921, so would have been sent to James Ferrier, John's father and next to kin, his mother having already passed away. Where it has been during the century since James's death is a mystery but its resurfacing now has allowed the story of one of Largo's lost to be retold.