The above image appears in the book 'Largo - An Illustrated History' by Eric Eunson and John Band and shows Walter Horne (on the far right) and the local team of joiners that worked with him. They are standing in front of their workshop, which was originally the panhouse of the former salt works at Drummochy.

In an effort to establish who the other individuals in the photograph are, I ran a search on the 1901 census for Largo Parish on the keyword 'Joiner' and found a number of candidates. Ruling out the retired joiners, joiners working on outlying areas such as New Gilston or Woodside and those based in Kirkton of Largo (such as Agnew Broomfield), there is a short list of 24 men and boys. Mostly living in Lower Largo. So the list below offers potential matches for those in the image. Certainly some of those on the list will be in the picture (most probably some of the other Hornes listed). If you think you can identify any matches - please leave a comment.

Walter Horne was still noted as the proprietor of the Drummochy workshop in the 1940 Valuation Roll. He died in 1941 at the age of 77, however, 'Walter Horne and Son Joiners' were still listed as proprietors in 1950. Meanwhile, ​Alexander Gillies Tait, son of joiner David Tait (and an apprentice joiner at the time of the 1901 census above), went to on become a master joiner and also had a Joiner's Shop at Drummochy for many years. When Alex Tait turned aged 70, he was obliged to place an advert in the 5 December 1956 Leven Mail, following rumours of his retirement (see below). The workshop building (seen from a different perspective in another HES image below) survived until the late 1960s before being demolished and the site rebuilt upon. Alex Tait died in 1970, aged 84, having provided joinery services in Largo since his mid-teens.

As a follow-on from the previous post about the Port of Drummochie, and the heyday of the salt pans there, we can look in more detail at the visible evidence of the old structures around this area. First, for context, a map comparison (above) of Drummochy in 1964 (top) and a feuing plan of the same area from around 1840. Numbered on both maps are:

1. The site of the former Emsdorf School;
2. The Salt Panhouse on the 'Panbraes';
3. Drum Lodge;
4. Salt Girnel (later known as Net House).

These landmarks and others are also annotated on the map below of Drummochy Salt Works from the book 'Largo - An Illustrated History' by Eric Eunson and John Band. This also shows how the pair of skerries of rock directly in front of the panhouse would likely have been dammed to create a 'bucket pot' (basin). Here the sea water would have been held when the tide was out, ready to be drawn up into the panhouse for boiling. More about the salt production process can be read about here.

The aerial image above and the ground level images below show the remains of the harbour structure. Much of the original stone would have been recycled into new building works long ago.  The former 'Pan Braes' became known as 'Massney Braes'. Unable to find any definitive origin or meaning for the word Massney, I wonder if there is any connection to stone masons using this area as a source of material. Opinions welcome on this idea - or evidence of an alternative meaning to the name. It's certainly the case that stone has taken from this area of shore by masons. In 1880, legal action was taken to stop Thomas Tivendale, mason, from "taking stone for building purposes from the seashore opposite Mr Macrae's property". Mr Macrae was Colin George Macrae W.S. of Drum Lodge.
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Above images show specific detail of the old harbour of Drummochie, captured at a time when there was less sand covering the area. The image on the left is the base of the sloping revetment of the harbour entrance (looking back towards Drum Park). The photo on the right is the end of the pier section which projects from the Lundie rocks.

Another historic feature in this vicinity is the man-made extension to the end of the Lundie rocks. Built around the 1830s, in the pre-railway days of the steam boat services, this low-water pier allowed boats to dock, embark and disembark passengers and goods, whatever the state of the tide. The flat platform of cut rocks can still be seen at the Lundies southern tip. The two images above show this from the ground and below is the same area from above. Remnants of iron fixings in the rock indicate a walkway with a bannister once would have assisted passengers from the boat to the shore.

Enjoy a short drone video clip ending at the former Drummochy Harbour here: https://youtu.be/HzIW_B2jxbk

​The "Port of Drummochie" was once of greater importance than the harbour we now know as Largo Harbour. Located in the above aerial image to the left of the Lundie Rocks (the natural strata seen in front of the viaduct), the remnants of this former port or harbour can still be made out, at low tide, as distinct bands of rubble. The circa 1750 Roy Military Survey of Scotland map (below) clearly indicates the symbol for a harbour or port to the west side of the point where the Keil Burn flows into Largo Bay. It was here - on the Drummochy side of the burn - where three salt pans also once operated.

The advert below from 1 July 1771 Caledonian Mercury mentions the "port" right at the start of the description of the Lundin estate, emphasising its importance and later notes that there were "three salt pans adjacent". A similar advert from 1773 elaborates on the description of the harbour at Drummochie, stating that it "is of easy approach and can be made capable of receiving ships of considerable burden at moderate expense".
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Drummochie or Drummochy has had several different spellings over time. It was made a free burgh of barony in 1540 and was then known as Drummoquhy, according to the above extract from the 'The Arms of the Baronial and Police Burghs of Scotland' (1903). Below is the 'Place Name Data' for Drummochy and further below is a piece from 1819 Topographical Dictionary of Scotland stating that, by then, the harbour at Drummochy (and salt works) had been "destroyed".

The demise of the harbour at Drummochy was linked with the end of the salt industry at the site. The 4 September 1784 Caledonian Mercury notice below shows that the three salt pans themselves were put up for sale along with coal fire engine. This sale (four decades after the start of the salt works at Drummochy) was overseen by Ebenezer Coutts, the bailie who lived at what is now Drum Lodge. The loss of the salt industry, plus the existence of the more natural Largo Harbour adjacent, must have meant there was no incentive to maintain the manmade harbour of Drummochy. 

Below are two more aerial images and a view from the ground of the remnants of Drummochy Harbour. Note the two significant areas of boulders, although no doubt many parts of the original harbour structure have long since been reused for other construction purposes. While it's great that some physical evidence of the old port remains today, it would be good to unearth more written information about the harbour in its working days. If you have any information about the former Drummochy Harbour, please comment.
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The above photograph is part of Historic Environment Scotland's Canmore collection but was originally part of a private collection. It's dated as circa 1890, which tallies with what we can see in the image. Firstly, the image was certainly captured after 1888, as the stone-built "W.C. for the benefit of sailors and fishers" can be seen on the right hand edge below the lamp.  Another clue to the date is the registration 'KY 478' on the sail of the fishing boat on the right. This vessel was sold to Messrs G.R. and W. Jamieson of Shetland in 1901 (see 18 May Shetland Times below) so the image was taken prior to that date.

In the background, under the right hand arch of the viaduct is the old wooden footbridge over the Keil Burn. Different versions of this footbridge existed up until 1914. The photographer has clearly waited for a train to pass over the viaduct before committing to the picture. The engine is a pleasingly old-looking one - reminiscent of a toy train to modern eyes. There a lot of people in the scene, including a group of men taking a rest on the right, a young girl heading for the end of the pier and several men (and possibly boys) congregating around one of the fishing boats. It's not too hard to imagine the smells and sounds that would have accompanied this sight. It's another image that I would love to be able to step right in to!

Drum Lodge on the sea-facing side of Drummochy Road dates back to the late 18th century and the days of the salt pans. Originally, there were large grounds associated with Drum Lodge (or Drummochie House as it was once known). This included extensive gardens immediately around the house (plot 36 on the 1850s feuing map below) plus 'park land' or 'meadow' to the south and east (plot 37 on the map). 

The circa 1900 photo above shows the tree-lined park/meadow in the background to the right of centre. This space was occasionally used for public events. The advert below is for an evangelical tent mission which took place in June 1901. This tent held 300 people and hosted a series of meetings which were "well filled". Mr Galletly was described in the 13 June Leven Advertiser as a "vigorous speaker" whose "addresses seldom fail to draw his hearers back again". 
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​ In 1899, Andrew Peebles had purchased Drum Lodge. He had invested in property in his native Largo for many years while working as a factor on estates in England and his interest in property development continued after he retired to Lundin Links. In 1908, the meadow owned by Peebles was feued and developed by local builder Walter Horne, who had already played a significant part in the development of Lower Largo and Lundin Links. The article below from the 21 Oct 1908 Leven Advertiser explains that the Drum Park scheme would fulfil "the great ambition of the city dweller is to have a summer holiday near the sea". 
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The execution of the scheme was slightly delayed by issues around drainage at the site. The Leven Advertiser of 13 Jan 1909 below explains that the council had some difficulties resolving the problem before agreeing to put in a new pipe on the foreshore. 

In fact what became Drum Lodge Park (later shortened to Drum Park) was built in two phases. The east half of the development came first and was ready for the summer season of 1909. The 31 March 1909 Leven Advertiser noted that:

"Mr Walter Horne is to be congratulated on his latest addition to the house property of Drummochy. On the space to the east of Drum Lodge he has erected eight very fine dwellings. The houses are situated within a few yards of the high water mark and are sure to be well let during the summer months. The mason work is completed and the houses are in such a forward state as to indicate that they will be in the pink of condition at the height of the visitors' season."

Later that year, on 17 Nov 1909, the Leven Advertiser mentions "further building being started in Drum Park" and by the summer of 1910 these additional eight houses were complete. Many of the sixteen dwellings had been purchased by Edinburgh residents. The local papers of 1910 contain lists of 'summer visitors' and most of the Drum Park properties were filled by families from either the capital city or from Glasgow. 

The postcard image below shows only the east half of the scheme in place (comprising eight dwellings). Further below is a photograph showing the whole development soon after completion. Finally, there is a more recent image that shows Drum Park largely unchanged since its early days, aside from a few minor alterations to dormer windows and extra reinforcement of sea defences. 

It was clearly a 'scorcher' on the day that this postcard image was captured. In fact, even the sender of the postcard remarked (upon their August 1955 stay) that they were "having a lovely time here - weather perfect." Simple pleasures were the order of the day. Bringing out a deck chair to have a sit in the sun, enjoying the sea view, paddling in the sea or burying yourself in sand. More in the next post on the origins of these terraced houses.

The previous post looked at the beginnings of Largo Baptist Church and its evolution up to circa 1880. At that point there were actually two Baptist Churches in Lower Largo. The traditionalists that met in the Baptist Meeting House (known as West Baptist Chapel at the time) close to the Crusoe Hotel (pictured above in September 1966) and the more modern group that met in the church at the Orry, which they had built in 1867. The two groups co-existed between 1867 and 1927. Below is the list of ministers of the modern church at the Orry. Alexander Brown served for thirteen years up until 1881 but thereafter followed a series of brief appointments. In 1892, church membership was healthy and those members that resided in Leven felt it appropriate to create a new church based there. Rev. Alexander Piggot, left to lead this new church (which became the present Leven Baptist Church). After a short vacancy, the Reverend William Pulford arrived in 1893 and stayed for 36 years.

William Pulford studied theology at Bristol University and spent four years at Ford Forge in Northumberland before coming to Largo in 1893.  That same year, a porch was added to the main Largo church building at the Orry (shown in the image below). Initially, Rev. Pulford and his wife Alice were tenants at a Burnbrae Terrace property owned by Euphemia Philp. However, following the birth of their daughter Beatrice in 1894 and their son William in 1896, they moved to 'Frithville' close to the Orry, staying there for a few years. Subsequently, they lived at Anchorage further east, next to Craigiebank, for over a decade. Sadly, their son died in 1904 aged 7. Another son, Wilfred, was born in 1906. 

Around the end of the First World War, with the church building reaching its half century and William Pulford having been in post for 25 years, it was decided that the church needed its own manse. The notices below date from the 10 February 1921 and 7 July 1921 Leven Advertiser and Wemyss Gazettes and show that fund raising had begun at this time for the 'Largo Baptist Manse Fund'.  ​

The fund raising effort lasted several years, extending beyond the actual building of the detached bungalow at Drummochy, adjacent to the Net House in 1924. The house is shown in the 1970s image below to the right of centre behind the Net House wall (by which time two dormer windows and upstairs rooms had been added). The manse is shown from Drummochy Road in more recent times further below and also from the beach. In August 1927, a sale of work was held to wipe out the remaining debt on the manse fund. Meanwhile, also in 1927, pastor of the other baptist church, the West Baptist Chapel, retired grocer John Marr of Upper Largo, died aged 83. This event ultimately led to the two baptist churches reuniting as one again (based in the 'new' church at the Orry). 

George Hunter was a Scottish painter - one of the Scottish Colourists - whose work was characterised by the bold use of colour and loose brushwork. He was born on 7 August 1877 to Rothesay chemist William Hunter and his wife Jeanie Stewart. He was their fifth child. George spent the first fifteen years of his life in Rothesay, where he developed a passion for drawing from a young age.  Early in 1892, two of George's older siblings died while still in their early twenties. Later that year, William, Jeanie and their three surviving children emigrated to California.  They initially settled on an orange grove 50 miles east of Los Angeles, where they enjoyed the change of climate. Two or three years later they moved to the city but in 1899 all except George returned to Scotland.

George moved to San Francisco, where he began using the name 'Leslie' for the first time. There he became a member of the bohemian community of artists, writers and poets. His earnings from work as an illustrator for magazines and books paid for a visit to Paris in 1904. This trip inspired him to try his hand at oil painting. Back in San Francisco, in 1905, he compiled a portfolio of work to be exhibited the following year in what would be his first solo exhibition. However, this would never come to pass, as all of his work was destroyed by the fires that followed the 1906 earthquake in the city.

This was a disaster for Hunter and led to his return to Scotland. He settled in Glasgow later in 1906 but continued to make visits to France from time to time (except during the First World War when travel was restricted). Hunter developed a group of friends based on the east coast of Scotland, who introduced him to Fife. The county's rural architecture and colourful landscapes became an important source of inspiration to him. Ceres and Lower Largo in particular were favourite haunts. In a letter to one of those friends Hunter wrote "Fife is ever a delightful thought on my mind with its beautiful valleys and villages".

Above is 'Cottages and Landscape, Fife' dated 1923-24, which is in fact Drum Lodge looking east.

Above is 'Largo, Fife' (undated) showing Main Street, Lower Largo, looking east where Horne's Buildings now stand on the left and the right turn at White Cottage is off picture to the right.

Above is 'Largo Harbour' dated 1925.

Above is 'Figures on the Pier, Largo' undated.

Above is 'Mill, near Largo' dated 1924, depicting the flour mill at Lundin Mill - not far from another of his subjects, Dunkirk Cottage.

Above is 'Cottages Under a Railway Bridge' (1924) featuring the railway viaduct, cottages and the oil and cake mill. 

Above is 'Boats, Lower Largo' dated 1926, looking west from close to the Orry.

So it was the early to mid years of the 1920s that Hunter frequently visited Largo. This was the same period of his life that he became increasingly associated with the other three Scottish Colourists: Samuel Peploe, Francis Cadell and John Duncan Fergusson. There were also trips to mainland Europe throughout the 1920s. In 1929, while in the French Riviera, Hunter suffered a breakdown and was brought back to Scotland by his sister to recuperate. Despite a period of recovery, his health deteriorated soon afterwards and he died in 1931 in Glasgow aged 54. Exhibitions of his work continued after his death and his art still commands huge interest today.

Ebenezer Coutts was born on February 1744 in Tillicoultry to Robert Coutts and Elizabeth Thomson. Coutts came to Largo in the 1760s and on 20 December 1769 he married Magdalene Lundin, who was the seventh child of James Lundin and Magdalene Condie. The Lundins were living in Drummochy before Ebenezer Coutts arrived there and owned the salt works and associated collieries. It may have been that Coutts initially came to Largo to work for James Lundin. However, several years after arriving in Largo, Coutts became factor to the Earl of Leven.

This was the era of the 6th Earl of Leven, David Melville, shown in the images above. Note that this was still a time when men wore coats, waistcoats, breeches, stockings and buckled shoes (and wigs for formal occasions). The 6th Earl was born in Leven in 1722 and died in 1802 in Edinburgh. Among Ebenezer's duties as his factor were to continue the overseeing the salt works at Drummochy (where he also lived), paying and overseeing other estate workers, showing lands to let, managing sales of the produce of the estate (including sea marle, flax, salt and coal) and arranging shipping out of the 'Port of Drummochy'. He would also have collected proceeds from estate sales and kept accounts . At some point Coutts also become Bailie in Drummochy (i.e. a civilian officer who administers the law at a local level). This is mentioned in the excerpt below about his wife from the 'History of the Clan Lundy, Lundie, Lundin'. The record of their marriage is also shown below.

​In 1771 Ebenezer and Magdalene's first child Robert was born in Drummochy and was baptised on 30 August 3 days after his birth. He was named after his maternal grandfather Robert Condie. His uncle Robert Lundin, a 'Sailor in Drumochy', was present at the baptism (see baptism record below). Daughter Magdalene was born in 1733 (died 1819) and then Elizabeth in 1775 (died 1794). 

Living at Drum Lodge from around 1799 and possibly closer to Drummochy Harbour prior to that, Ebenezer was perfectly positioned for his role as Overseer for the Drummochie salt works. The advert below from Caledonian Mercury of 21 March 1774 shows him as contact for any Master Salter of good character looking for employment. Records were kept on the character of salters due to the temptation to illicitly draw off salt during the manufacturing process in order to sell on this highly valued and taxed commodity on the black market.

The adverts below from the 19 July 1775, 3 April 1776 and 12 June 1779 Caledonian Mercury detail the trade in 'Shell-Marle' which was used as a fertiliser and was "handled with more ease and less risk then limeshells". Soil fertility was an issue at this time and shell marle was recommended for overused and depleted soil. However, its prolonged use, without stable dung also being applied, was later found to push exhausted soil beyond repair, leading to the phrase "marl makes rich fathers and poor sons".

Ebenezer was also involved in 'flax raising' as can be seen from the list below of premiums charged to those involved in this industry across Scotland (12 Dec 1785 Caledonian Mercury). He is listed fourth from the top right along with three other Largo men. Also below is the list of those charged 'horse tax' in 1797, with Ebenezer Coutts appearing seventh on the list and as having one horse.

Ebenezer Coutts lived out the remainder of his life at Drum Lodge (pictured above). By the time of his death there on 17 December 1822, aged 78, he was a widower with no surviving children. His wife Magdalene had died in 1810. His son Robert had died before that in 1803 aged just 31. Robert became Reverend Robert Coutts, and was a minister in Brechin at the time of his death. Prior to becoming a minister, he had for a spell held the chair of Mathematics at St Andrews University. Latterly, Robert had suffered from consumption and came to Largo shortly before his death to visit his father and for a change of air but passed soon afterwards. A man of notable intellect, a book of his sermons was published posthumously and he was still being talked about 70 years later when the Brechin Advertiser (28 October and 18 November 1873) printed a two-part appreciation of his life (excerpt of which is shown below). 

A silhouette image of Robert appears in his book of sermons and is shown at the foot of this post. Silhouette or profile portraiture was the popular way to recreate an image of a person before the invention and widespread use of photography. Robert left behind a wife (Janet McCulloch, daughter of a Dairsie minister) and an infant son named Ebenezer. Six months after his death, his daughter Magdalene was born. Sadly his young son died in 1805, aged 3 years, at Dairsie Manse. His daughter survived into adulthood but died young, like her father, of consumption. A section from the sketch of Robert's life confirms that both root and branches of the Coutts family were now ended.

Drum Lodge is situated on the south side of Drummochy Road facing the sea. A 'category B' listed building since 1984, its listing describes it as follows:

Late 18th/early 19th century, 2 storeys and attic 3 bays with late 19th century rear wing and alterations to south front. Harled mainly with painted margins. South front ground floor alterations comprise central door in moulded and segmentally pedimented doorpiece, flanked by canted windows with balustrades. Some 12-pane glazing remains. Straight skews, end stacks, slate roof. Rear wing with gabled dormerheads.

Unsurprisingly, the origins of Drum Lodge are linked to the adjacent former salt pans at Drummochy. Salt works overseer and factor to the Earl of Leven, Ebenezer Coutts, was the building's first occupant. It was probably built in the late 1700s and its original name was 'Drummochie House' (see 1850s map below). It was suitably positioned between the salt pan house (later a joiner's workshop) to the west and the salt girnel (later known as the Net House) to the east by the harbour.

In addition to the handy location, the house's extensive view of Largo Bay would have proved useful to the first occupant Ebenezer Coutts in his wide-ranging role as factor to the Earl of Leven (more on that in the next post). Coutts died in 1822 and, for a spell after that, Cupar-born George Miller seems to have occupied the house. In 1856 'Drummochy House' was put up for sale (see advert below from 13 March Fife Herald). Note the 'well-stocked garden' and the 'Park of Land' that would later become Drum Park. 

John Anthony Macrae bought the house and it soon became known as 'Drum Lodge'. Macrae was a Writer to the Signet (solicitor) based in Edinburgh. He had an interesting background - more of which another time. The house was likely used as a summer residence. Macrae had got to know Fife in his student days at St Andrews University. The imminent opening of the railway line would have been another factor in his purchase. Note also the mention of the house's outbuildings in the advert below - the gig-house, stable and barn. These 'offices' are shown in the image further below, prior to their conversion into a dwelling a few years after this black and white photo was taken in 1975.

When John Macrae died in 1868, his son Colin George Macrae (also a Writer to the Signet) took over ownership and retained it for the next three decades. As well as no doubt using the house as a summer residence, he often rented it out for long periods. Fellow Edinburgh solicitor, Fife-born David Lyell, was resident for a spell in the late 1890s. Macrae sold Drum Lodge to Andrew Peebles in 1899 - see snippet below from the Dundee Advertiser of 11 October.

Peebles had bought the property as an investment. As he was still working at the Duke of Northumberland's Albury estate, he rented Drum Lodge out. Around 1902 to 1904 the Paxton family (later of Homelands) lived at Drum Lodge. Their two middle daughters of four were born at Drum Lodge: Margaret Baird Paxton on 17 February 1902 and Isabella Carse Paxton on 22 June 1904. The Paxtons then moved to Elphinstone on Crescent Road in 1905 before purchasing Homelands in 1908. In 1908 at Drum Lodge the extensive grounds were developed, when Walter Horne erected two terraces of houses at Drum Lodge - known originally as 'Drum Lodge Park', it is now simply 'Drum Park'.

The next tenant was Mrs Isabel Anstruther Thomson, widow of Colonel John Anstruther Thomson of Charleton and Carntyne (who had died in 1904). She was at Drum Lodge through the 1910s with her daughter Rachel until her death in 1918. Proprietor Andrew Peebles had died in 1912 and so Drum Lodge ownership had passed to his widow Phoebe. She continued to own and rent out the house. Miss Rachel Anstruther Thomson was  tenant until 1923 when she married Michael Willoughby Gordon-Cumming and settled in Crail.