VINTAGE LUNDIN LINKS AND LARGO
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Largo Home Farm - Part 3

17/1/2021

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Looking at the empty and unused buildings of Largo Home Farm today, it's hard to imagine this as a bustling place of work and thriving community of residents. Yet for a couple of hundred years, this would have been a hive of activity and a home for estate employees and their families. It was the scene of births, deaths, marriages and all sorts of other occasions. Many of the residents were long term ones - living out decades of their lives there. Lots of children grew up on the farm and walked the short distance to Kirkton of Largo School for their education. Archives such as census records show the successive coachmen, foresters, game keepers, agricultural labourers, gardeners, dairy maids and others that lived on site. Examples of just a handful of these people are given below.

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Eleven births were recorded in the register of births kept by midwife Margaret Bethune as taking place at either 'Largo Place' (the cottages at the south of the steading) or 'Eagle Gate Lodge' (the south lodge house) between 1853 and 1887. Three of those were the 11th, 12th and 13th children of John Sibbald and his wife.  The written record of child number 13 (a female born on 5 January 1872) is shown above. John Sibbald was a forester on the Largo estate. He was born in Largo in 1829. Several of his daughters worked at the Cardy Net Factory. In fact, his eldest daughter Maggie Campbell Sibbald was married to fisherman James Simpson by the Reverend David Malloch at Largo Place in 1872 - the same year as the birth of her youngest sister Janet shown above. A 14th child, William Bruce Sibbald, followed in 1875. 

William Bruce was also the name of the gamekeeper on the estate, who also resided at Largo Place at the time. It would appear that John Sibbald either named his youngest son after him or after the minister of the United Free Church in Upper Largo, who also shared the name. The birth of the first child of William Bruce the gamekeeper and his wife was also recorded in the register of Margaret Bethune - in 1875, the same year as the last of John Sibbald's children. Further Bruce children were also born at Largo Place, including twins (a boy and a girl) in 1884.

​Another family which saw several of their children born at the home farm was headed by Alexander Anderson. Alexander was initially a forester on the estate but became the 'Estate Overseer' by 1891 (see census entry below). The census extract below shows the four cottages of Largo Place listed beneath Largo House itself and the Coachman's House (unoccupied on the day of the census). The only residents of Largo House that day were the sewing maid and the laundry maid. Of the four cottages of Largo Place, one was unoccupied, one filled by the 'farm manager' and his large family, another was occupied by Anderson the overseer and the other by Robert Smith the gardener and his wife Annie.
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Robert Smith was a long serving gardener on Largo Estate who lived at Largo Place for decades. In 1886 he married Annie Greig Welsh, daughter of Lower Largo Postmaster Alexander Welsh. The pair were both extremely active in the Good Templars. Mr Smith was the 'Deputy Grand Chief Templar' of the Robinson Crusoe Lodge and Mrs Smith (pictured further below) was the 'Superintendent of the Juvenile Templars' at the time that the North East Fife Good Templar Guide of 1898 was published (see extract below). 
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Of the many events that took place at Largo Place, a couple of examples are given below. A Grand Floral Fete in 1899 was opened by architect of the Lundin Links Hotel, P.L. Henderson (advertised on the front page of the 17 August Leven Advertiser). In August of 1905 the Juvenile Templars were entertained at Largo House, assembling at Largo Place before marching to an estate field for games, tea and treats. See 17 August Leven Advertiser piece below. Various estate folks were present for the occasion, which surely took place thanks to the Smiths.  Robert Smith died at Largo Place in 1919. More on the Smiths and the Good Templars organisation to follow in the near future. 
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Largo Home Farm - Part 2

9/1/2021

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Leading on from the previous post, let's take a closer look at the layout and buildings of Largo Home Farm. The steading was arranged around a square courtyard with a byre at its centre. With some parts dating back to the late 18th century and with multiple alterations over the years, Largo Home Farm is a fine example of agricultural development through three centuries. Most of the buildings have served more than one function over time. Below is the detailed 1964 O.S. map of the farm, with numbering to show the main component buildings, plus a recent aerial view of the site. 

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1. Building associated with the sheep dip
2. Horse mill (or horse gin)
3. West range of steading
4. Cart shed
5. Inner courtyard byre
6. East range of steading
7. Row of farm cottages
8. Farmhouse
​9. Sir Andrew Wood's Tower

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Building 1 is a post-war structure that was clearly associated with the adjacent sheep dip. It is of brick construction and does not appear on earlier maps. Structure 2 is the horse mill or horse gin (short for horse engine house), which adjoins the north end of the west range of the steading. Horse gins were used on many farms to drive threshing mills. These generally consisted of a rotating wooden frame to which a horse was harnessed. As the horse pulled the frame round, it drove a shaft geared to the threshing mill next door. ​These took over from hand threshing from the 1780s. The engines were initially made of wood, and houses such as this one were built to protect the engine and the horses from the weather. This structure is typical of the area, with a polygonal roof (that originally would have been pantiled) supported on stone piers. The engine would have been removed when new technology took over in the late 18th century and the building would have been repurposed. Read more about the workings of a horse gin here and here. Below is the horse gin as it was in the mid 1970s. The roof has since collapsed.
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The south end of the west range of the steading (3) is shown above in its present state. It has clearly been altered several times over the centuries. The cart shed (4) is shown on the left of the photograph below. This facility was located close to the main tracks leading off the courtyard. It had wide arched entrances to accommodate the carts that would have moved produce to and from the fields. There is also an upper level that perhaps was used to store straw or grain.

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The horse-shoe shaped byre (5) can be seen below. The black and white photograph is from around 1975 while the colour one is present day. This unusually shaped single storey structure and seems to have contained a water pump. Its main purpose was to provide shelter for livestock, usually cows. Even in its dilapidated state, it is an attractive and characterful building with its pantiled roof, dark whin rubble walls and golden sandstone window dressings.  The 1854 O.S. map (further below) indicates that this was not always in its later horse shoe shape but earlier consisted of a north edge and a small square building in the south east corner. It was built-up into the horse shoe arrangement before 1893. 

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The east range of the steading (6) is pictured above as it is today (with much of the roof collapsed) and as it was circa 1975. It had high arched entrances at either end and was clearly designed to accommodate large pieces of farm equipment. The row of farm cottages (7) are shown below at circa 1975 (before the preservation work was carried out on Wood's Tower), in 1989 and as they are now. ​These dwellings for farm workers were located to the south of the main steading, set back from the working area and closer to the gardens and to Largo House. The main farmhouse (8) was located further east. It is shown in the previous post. Coming in the next part - the people who lived and worked at Largo Home Farm.

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Largo Home Farm - Part 1

3/1/2021

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Largo Home Farm was the farm associated with Largo House that now lies in a largely derelict state. Situated to the north west of Largo House, the Home Farm is adjacent to Sir Andrew Wood's Tower (seen to the left in the above aerial photograph). "Home farm" was the widely-used term used for the farm within an estate which provided produce for the estate owner. An estate may have had many farms within its boundaries, most of which would be rented out to tenant farmers. However, the home farm was managed as a source of food and resources for the 'big house'. It was also often where the estate horses were kept. The home farm would be close to the landowner's house, as in this case. The Largo estate owned around a dozen farms, including Lundin Mill, Buckthorns, Chesterstone, Pitcruvie and Bonnyton. The extent of the Home Farm (also referred to as Largo Mains) is shown in the centre of the 1866 map below.  

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It can be assumed that Largo House has long had farm buildings of some sort to support its occupants. The oldest surviving building is the doocot that stands to the left of the access road to home farm. Doocot is the Scots name for a dovecot or pigeon house. These were used as nesting places for doves or pigeons and could contain hundreds of nesting boxes or ‘pigeon holes’. The birds were an important source of fresh meat in the days when it was a challenge to keep livestock over the winter. Their feathers and droppings were also utilised for pillows and fertiliser, respectively. Read more about Fife's doocots here. 

The Largo Home Farm Doocot dates to the late 17th century and, like many others in Fife, is of the 'lectern' style. Note the south facing mono-pitched roof (now collapsed), the crow-stepped gables (where pigeons could perch) and the 'rat course' external ledge to prevent rats climbing the walls to access to doocot to steal eggs. The condition of the doocot has deteriorated noticeably over the last few decades. Below are a pair of photos taken from the same spot - on the left is a 1989 view and on the right an image captured in 2020. In thirty years, vegetation has taken hold within the roofless structure (much like what has happened to Largo House itself). The 1989 photo also shows the roof of the horse mill in the background to the right of the doocot. The horse mill structure has now collapsed (more on that later). 

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The other main buildings of the home farm are of a lesser age than the doocot. The 1775 Ainslie map of Fife shows Largo House and Wood's Tower but no evidence of the Home Farm buildings. This could, however, be due to a lack of detail on that particular map. The 1826 Greenwood map does clearly show the farm buildings. An extract from this is below, showing the Home Farm (1) in roughly the same layout as today, as well as Largo House and the buildings that surround it (2), including the 1815 stable block. 

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Canmore describes the listed Farmhouse at Largo Home Farm (pictured below as it was in 1975) as 18th century with the following description:

"2 storey, 3 bay house, harled with painted ashlar dressings. Glazed central door and enlarged windows to ground floor. Original first floor glazing. Pantiled roof, straight skews with simply moulded skew putts to front and crowsteps to rear at north east gable. End stacks. Single storey wing to right, rubble with droved ashlar dressings and pantile roof. Modern addition at rear."

The farmhouse is located on the far right of the home farm group of buildings (see 1854 O.S. map further below), which also include a distinctive horseshoe-shaped byre, a row of farm cottages, a horse mill and other steading buildings. In part two - a photo tour of these buildings with further description of how they were once used.

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Victoria House

4/12/2020

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The image above of 'Victoria House', as it was then styled, dates to around 1907. Described as a "boarding establishment" of the "most modern" kind in the Fifeshire Guide advertisement below. Occupying the "best site in Lundin Links", the features to note were the "Public, Dining and Smoke Rooms. Lounge, Billiard Room and South Verandah". The latter can be seen to the right of the building above on both the first and second floors.

The gardens appear to be fairly newly laid out in fine symmetrical form and neatly lined with young trees on either edge. The building stands quite alone with none of the nearby Victoria Road houses yet in place, nor the south side of Crescent Road. The nearest houses behind Victoria House at the time of this photograph were the 1850s 'cottages' on the north side of Crescent Road. Elphinstone is visible to the left and on the right are the school house and Oldfield (then called Bayview Cottage). The map further below shows the direction from which the image was taken and the absence of neighbouring buildings.

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​The location of Victoria House was ideal for a boarding house - close to the station, the golf course and the beach, plus right next to the iron bridge over the railway line. Walter Horne feued this plot and built Victoria House. He continued to own it until selling to Johnston Wright Swan around 1923. Initially, however, the boarding house was let and run by Miss Agnes Brown. Victoria House went through a number of subtle name changes over the decades from Victoria House to Victoria Boarding House to Victoria Private Hotel, before becoming Victoria Court flats in the early 1970s.

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Alexander Thomas Assafrey (1844-1930)

27/11/2020

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Summer visitors have long been a feature of Largo and Lundin Links. In the past, the villages were transformed during the summer season, as boarding houses filled and houses were let out. Many visitors were regulars that returned year after year, getting to know one another and the locals. Summer visitors put on concerts and raised money for the improvement of local facilities. Following the rapid expansion of Lundin Links, the village became hugely fashionable with city dwellers from both Glasgow and Edinburgh. Some prominent and interesting characters from both cities brought their families to Largo Bay to enjoy the sea air, the bathing, golf, tennis and entertainment.

One of the regular faces for a spell was A.T. Assafrey, pictured above. Born in 1844 in Estonia, son of a flour miller, Jacob Assafrey and his wife Anna. He qualified as a master confectioner in Talinn, Estonia (which at the time was Reval, Livonia, Russia) before emigrating to Scotland. ​Initially he found employment with Ferguson and Forrester, caterers. The advert for their business below from the 27 Dec 1856 Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald shows that confectionery was part of their offering. 
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The 1871 census finds Alexander as one of five lodgers of various nationalities at a dwelling on Hospital Street Govan. His occupation was described as a confectioner. The business that he set up around this time was styled as a 'chocolatier et confiseur' at 171 Sauchiehall Street and was "an early representative of foreign sophistication in the city" according to the book 'Tea and Taste: The Glasgow Tea Rooms 1875-1975' by Perilla Kinchin. On 23 November 1871 Alexander married Rachel Torrance Atkins, who was the daughter of pianoforte maker Hugh Atkins (see his advert below from 15 July 1861 Glasgow Herald). They went on to have seven daughters: Hilda, Olga, Silvia, Selma, Ruby, Vera and Alma. Alexander was naturalised as a British citizen in 1876.

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Assafrey's independent venture proved to be a great success and, in 1888, when it participated in the Glasgow International Exhibition, the business was described as follows:

​"Five or six years subsequent to his first establishment in Sauchiehall Street, Mr Assafrey instituted a branch at 2 Rokeby Terrace, Hillhead, which is now in most flourishing circumstances, and about eighteen months ago he opened another depot at 78 St. Vincent Street. Both these establishments have done well, carrying on a growing business for themselves. The premises at headquarters in Sauchiehall Street comprise an extensive and well-situated shop with a luxuriantly appointed refreshment and general saloon in the rear, and in connection are culinary departments, in which are prepared many of the delicious confections and choice dishes for which the place has become famous. In St. Vincent Street is another large shop with another saloon, also of elegant appointment, while at Hillhead the depot comprises a shop and saleroom only.

At 121 Sauchiehall Lane the house has a large factory, extending quite through from the lane to Bath Street. This place is most completely equipped, employs a numerous force of hands, and is devoted exclusively to the manufacture of chocolate and cocoa powder, this house being reputed as the only one in Scotland extensively combining tile production of both these articles in one industry. Assafrey's soluble cocoa powder is one of the most familiar preparations of its kind in the Scottish market, and is renowned for its delicate flavour and excellence of quality. Every description of improved and labour-saving machinery is employed.

The specialities of the house consist in fine French confectionery in all its branches : wedding cakes, choice fancy dishes, ices for dinner and other parties, and bonbons, chocolate caramels and superior sweetmeats of every kind. In ices the firm have an unsurpassed reputation, and their connection for these dainty goods extends throughout the most distinguished social circles all over Scotland. The name of Assafrey in relation to bonbons is a synonym for excellence throughout Great Britain. His house is most particularly renowned for these ever-popular sweetmeats, many of which are his own invention, and he is recognised as the practical introducer of these goods in this country, where he has developed in them a business of very great magnitude. The stock held at headquarters in Sauchiehall Street is particularly large and comprehensive, and abounds in novel, unique, and interesting features.

Mr. Assafrey conducts his business with exemplary enterprise and conspicuous commercial and practical ability. At the Glasgow Exhibition he is exhibiting in the Machinery Department an installation of his fine chocolate machinery, and at the same Exhibition, which, promises to be a perfect symposium of everything that Glasgow can accomplish in the peaceful arts and industries, he will have a typical kiosk, whereat will be retailed to lovers of confectionery all descriptions of the bonbons, chocolate sweetmeats, and ices for which this house is so deservedly noted."


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The successful involvement in the Exhibition acted as a catalyst for further expansion, particularly in the tea and luncheon room side of his business. In the 1890s several more premises were opened in Glasgow and a branch was opened in Edinburgh on Princes Street. It was around the turn of the century that the Assafreys began to spend their summers in Lundin Links. The list of summer visitors published in the local papers shows them at Emsdorf House in 1901 and 1902; Keil Bank in 1904 (when the daughters performed at the Improvement Fund Concert) and Monkton Lodge in 1905. In 1905 the family were part of the "fashionable assemblage" at the opening of the Lundin Bowling Club. The event is pictured below - the gentlemen to the left of the magnified part of the photo perhaps being Mr Assafrey. Alexander lived until 1930, passing away at the age of 85 at his home at Kirn on the Firth of Clyde.

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Spot the Old Cottages

13/11/2020

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The image above was one of a series taken by the George Washington Wilson studio to showcase the new buildings of Lundin Links around 1900. As well as this view of the approach to the village from the station, photographs were taken of the newly completed hotel, the smart row of shops, the golf club house and the many new villas. However, a slightly incongruous-looking part of old Lundin Mill can still be seen in the above image if you look closely. 

Shown more closely in the detail below, in front of the Lundin Links Hotel, is a row of old cottages. By the time that this image was captured these old buildings' days were numbered. By 1903, the cottages had been demolished and the corner of Emsdorf Street and Links Road (then Station Road) had been transformed, with the Pharmacy as the centrepiece.

The census information from 1901 and earlier decades, tells us a bit about these replaced dwellings. The cottage at the far west end (to the left in the image below) was unsurprisingly known as "West End Cottage". Next to it was an unnamed cottage occupied by none other than Jumpin' Jimmy Methven. Next came "Ivanhoe Cottage" (its later replacement kept the same name). And finally (just before Bellville) there was "Meldrum Cottage". It was so named because it belonged to Jean Hogg (nee Meldrum) who lived there with her daughter Julia. Julia Hogg later lived in Mill Wynd and met with a tragic death in 1897.
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The view looking along Station Road towards the Lundin Links Hotel was one that was often recaptured over the years and the examples below, taken not long after the one above, shows that the cottages have been replaced with the West Emsdorf Street shops and joined by the eight terraced houses of Park Terrace (now part of Links Road). The four shops and neighbouring tenements were built by Walter Horne and the newspaper piece further below from the 5 February 1903 Leven Advertiser shows that they were under construction early in the year. Later reports tell us that the shops were open by July and that a concrete footpath had been laid in front of them.
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North Feus, looking south east

3/11/2020

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A comparison above of part of North Feus, Upper Largo, looking south east back towards the Main Street. Most of the prominent buildings in these views are largely unchanged. Even a telegraph post remains in the same position. The passage of time has mostly resulted in more hedges and cars. On the extreme left is an eye-catching skewput (the structural feature where the gable meets the top of the wall) in the form of a global atop a cube. That belongs to number 24 which is largely out of shot. The black and white fronted house next door is Briary Cottage. Further down this side of the street is the old school.

​Dominating the left side of the street is the rear of Rose Cottage (the front of which can be seen below in a Canmore photograph dating to the mid-1970s. Listed in 1984, the listing description is as follows:


Circa 1860; single storey and attic 3-bay cottage, whin rubble with prominent painted droved ashlar dressings. Central door, 12-pane glazing in ground and 3 bowed dormers. Slated roof, straight skews, end stacks with 3 diamond flues to each. 3 windows to rear with small piended addition at north east. Plaster decoration remains in hall. 
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Andrew Selkirk (1836-1909)

28/10/2020

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The circa 1890 photograph above shows a corner of Lower Largo that has several connections to a man called Andrew Selkirk. The tallest building in the centre background with the many chimneys is Edina View. In front of that is Alexandra House (dark coloured house with three windows visible) and on the far right is the Crusoe Hotel. Between the hotel and Edina View are some old dwellings whose days were numbered when this image was captured. 
Andrew Selkirk was born in 1836 in the coal shipping port of St David's, east of Inverkeithing to Alexander Selkirk and Elizabeth Berwick. However, his family's roots were firmly in Largo. His grandfather had a 'four loom shop' in Lower Largo at the time when the Durhams were at Largo House. Sir Philip Durham was interested in the manufacture of table linen and frequently visited the shop. Sir Philip married second wife Anne Henderson, daughter and heir of Sir John Henderson of Fordell in 1817 and when he took up residence at Fordell he appointed Alexander Selkirk (father of Andrew and son of the linen manufacturer) as clerk at St David's where coals were shipped from the Fordell colliery. 

However, by the time of the 1841 census, the family were back in Largo where Alexander was now a grocer. A few years later Alexander took over the Steamboat Inn (now Crusoe Hotel). When his son Andrew left school, he initially set out to become a joiner and went to Drumeldrie as an apprentice. Later he worked in Cupar for Robert Douglas, engineer and millwright. When Douglas set up business in Kirkcaldy, Selkirk moved with him. In the 1861 census Andrew was living on Kirkcaldy High Street and is described as an engine fitter.
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Not long after this, Andrew Selkirk emigrated to New Zealand with fellow Largo man Walter Guthrie. Accordingly to the Leven Advertiser of 31 March 1909 (reporting on Andrew's death), the pair ended up at the gold mines. They found employment making furniture for the prospectors and built a boat with which to ply up and down the river with their wares. They also tried their hands at house building. However, Selkirk's desire to return home brought him back to Scotland within a few years (unlike Guthrie, who lived out his days in New Zealand). In 1866 he married Largo farmer's daughter Isabella Kinnear in Edinburgh. They settled in Leith where Andrew resumed his occupation as an engine fitter. In 1871, the couple were living in south Leith with their young sons, Alexander and John. However, the following year Isabella died from smallpox aged 35 years.

Andrew relocated soon afterwards to Largo, where he married Jane Henderson in 1874. He changed occupation again - this time becoming a salmon fisherman (a job he had assisted his father with over many summers). The 1881 census finds Andrew, Jane, Alexander and John residing at Harbour Cottage, Lower Largo, along with a servant, a lodger and a visitor. A decade later Andrew and Jane are at Alexandra House (perhaps this was Harbour Cottage with a new name). They are still there in 1901 (when Andrew is described as a 'salmon taxman'). The Selkirk family leased the salmon fishing in Largo estate for over sixty years.

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House building continued to be an interest of Andrew's and he was responsible for the transformation of the sea front to the east of the Crusoe Hotel around 1890 when he built "Edina View",  "Rock View" and "Beach House" on the site of some old and rundown properties. Forming one long terrace, these properties were built by the time of the 1891 census. The eastern most block was built first and some old photos show it standing next to the very old dwellings that were about to be replaced. Below are a pair of images showing the seafront view before and after the building of Edina View (phase one of the bigger development).  The annotated numbers 1, 3, 4 and 5 show the equivalent buildings in each view, while number 2 shows a fairly basic looking sea defence built in front of building 4, perhaps indicating that these old buildings were considered to be at risk from the sea. The replacement buildings were set further back from the tide.

Andrew Selkirk was very proud of these striking new buildings. The Dundee Evening Telegraph of 24 March 1909 noted at the time of his death that "Mr Selkirk owned much property, which was planned and largely built by himself." Andrew was survived by his sons Dr Alexander Selkirk and John Kinnear Selkirk (a 
marine engineer). The Lower Largo properties were divided between them. In the 1930s, the Fortes bought Alexandra House from Dr Selkirk and created the Rio Cafe.
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Isabel Carse Paxton 1904-1993

13/10/2020

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On 22 June 1904, Isabella Carse Paxton was born at Drum Lodge. She was the third daughter of Robert Carswell Paxton and Margaret Donald Baird. At the time of her birth, her parents were 51 and 41 respectively and already had two daughters - Jessie aged 8 and Margaret aged 2. Jessie had been born in the USA in 1896 and Margaret at Drum Lodge in 1902.  The family had recently settled in Lundin Links, following time in Texas where Robert owned a very successful sheep ranch - Longfellow Ranch.

He was one of the early settlers of Terrell County in Texas, emigrating from Scotland in 1878. Once his family had settled in Fife, he continued to make frequent visits to the USA until the outbreak of the First World War. Robert was the fourth of eight children and was born in Kilmarnock in 1852 to George Paxton.  His father was a brewer, and owner of Richardland Brewery on the River Irvine at Riccarton, Kilmarnock.  He died when Robert was still a child and his elder brother took on the brewery business. Like many younger sons, Robert took the opportunity to seek his fortune elsewhere.

When Isabel was three years old, on 15 October 1907, her younger sister Emily Wallace Paxton was born at Elphinstone on Crescent Road. The arrival of their fourth daughter completed the Paxton family. The following year, they bought 'Homelands' as their permanent family home and this is where Isabel would live out the remainder of her life over ten decades. At the time of the 1911 census, Isabel was at Homelands with her mother and sisters Margaret and Emily. It seems likely that Robert and Jessie were on a visit to the USA at the time. Also recorded in the Homelands household were a governess, a cook and a housemaid.

Family life was disrupted when four-year-old Emily developed tubercular meningitis and died at Homelands on 3 April 1912. Isabel would have been 7 at the time and no doubt remembered this sad event for the rest of her life. Life changed again during the Great War years. The family swung into action to support the war effort. For four and a half years, the Lundin Links Red Cross work party was based at Homelands, with Mrs Paxton as convener. Among other things, the group made shirts, socks, pyjamas, etc. This undoubtedly had a huge influence upon young Isabel, who would go on to be heavily involved in the work of the Red Cross and other charities throughout her adult life. 

After his retirement from ranching, Robert joined the rest of the family at Homelands permanently and became very involved in village life. He had already been Captain of Lundin Golf Club 1908-09 and continued to be involved at the Club. Also he served on the Parish Council (chairing it for a time) and was an elder at Largo Parish Church.  He gifted a well-equipped recreation hut to the village and laid out the pitch and putt facility at the Golf Club. Robert, pictured below, died on 8 Oct 1926 from tuberculous.

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Only 22-years-old when her father died, Isabel and her two elder sisters stayed with their mother at Homelands. All continued to be active within community organisations, such as the church, the S.W.R.I. and the Lundin Amateur Dramatic Society. The photograph at the top of this piece is of Isabel aged 26, taken from the 9 February 1931 Dundee Courier when she performed in a production of 'Prelude to a Play'. The Fife Free Press review of the play praised Isabel's portrayal of Angela Hamilton as being "very good indeed" and that she "looked splendid in the part".

Isabel was also heavily involved in Girl Guiding. She was Brown Owl at 1st Largo Brownies from 1924 to 1939 but also had spells involved with Guides and Rangers. She even helped to set up new Brownie groups outside of Largo (using Largo as a model that could be replicated elsewhere). This activity was disrupted by the Second World War and Isabel joining the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Services. As part of her role, she drove ambulances. During war time, Isabel's mother, Margaret, died on 7 October 1941 at Homelands. 

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After the war, Isabel found a role that she would immerse herself in for many years, as a 'diversional therapist' with the Red Cross. The daughter of one of the patients that benefited from this therapy, June Lothian, explains how her father Jack Harbour was helped by Isabel. Jack was originally from Gosport, Hampshire and had joined the army as a bugle boy aged 14. He became a Regimental Sergeant Major in the Royal Artillery and, in 1937, was posted to Leven to take charge of the Drill Hall (now The Centre). June picks up the story:

"Unfortunately, he contracted TB, most likely in the evacuation from Dunkirk, which led to many years in Lomond Sanatorium, hospitals and in bed at home. He was visited at home by Miss Paxton who gave patients ideas to keep them occupied. I remember rugs being made both with rags and with wool. The most profitable undertaking was “Duchess” sets for the dressing table. These were usually a set of three mats, one large and two small. Dad started off with delicate. shades of satin. He must have had some kind of transfer as the mats were transformed into a lady in profile wearing a large crinoline skirt. This image was surrounded by pansy type flowers.  Next job was to paint this. Dad spent many hours on each one. To finish off he had tubes of a glue-like substance, which he put around what was to be the outside edge. This was brushed with gold dust and, when dry, was cut out. The finished set was beautiful in its day. Another project, which I still have, is an embroidered tablecloth celebrating the Coronation in 1953. Miss Paxton was a regular and welcome visitor in our house. I can still picture her with her long plaits crossed at the nape of her neck and, I suppose, clipped in place. I also remember her beautiful smile."

Jack died in 1965 aged only 55. The 'duchess sets' referred to would have been similar to the one shown above. The template was printed onto linen and instructions attached suggesting which colour threads and stitch type should be used for the various elements of the design. Isabel helped many people in similar situations to Jack in her work as a 'diversional therapist'.
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Isabel and her diversional therapy work are mentioned in the newspaper archives over many years. Above top is an advert from the Fife Herald of 14 November 1951 for a talk by Miss Paxton at the AGM of the Fife Branch of the Red Cross. Also above is a piece from the 20 May 1959 Leven Mail detailing another talk by Isabel. In the 5 November 1952 Leven Mail it was reported that during that year Isabel and her two colleagues at the Red Cross had "paid 896 visits to 139 patients confined to their homes and gave out 321 articles of work, as well as large quantities of wool for knitting and weaving."  A piece in the 28 October 1959 Leven Mail noted that Isabel said "she loved her work".

During the 1960s, Isabel lost her two elder sisters. First Jessie passed away in 1962 and then Margaret in 1966. Isabel lived for another 27 years, remaining at Homelands - the last surviving member of a remarkable family. During this period Isabel became increasingly involved with the Fife branch of the MS Society and would drive all over the county supporting their work. Homelands had been converted into effectively two houses post-war and a succession of patients stayed in the 'back wing', particularly over the summer months. A mid-1970s view of Homelands with a car parked at the west-facing entrance is shown below.

Ian Marshall (whose mother was a cousin of Isabel's) recalls that:

"The house was always full of flowers, at all times of year.  There was a gardener and his family who lived above the garages which had been stables, next to the public Bowling Green.  There were two big greenhouses and a large and productive vegetable garden between the house and the wall along the Leven Road.  There were well-stocked flowerbeds on the south side of the house, and on the east, and a great variety of trees and flowering shrubs.  Potted plants were prepared in the greenhouses and brought into the living room, which was always scented."

Isabel certainly loved her garden and its flowers and produce. This gave her much pleasure in the years where her own mobility became restricted and so she developed the vision of Homelands being enjoyed into the future by those who live with disability. Isabel died on 16 January 1993 at the age of 88 and left her home to charity for the benefit of people affected by “MS and other disabling and incurable conditions”. As a result of this generous legacy, the Homelands Trust created four purpose-built, accessible, self-catering holiday lodges, which are designed and equipped to meet the needs of disabled people with a variety of conditions. The East Fife Mail newspaper clipping at the foot of this post shows Isabel centre front as the guest of honour at the 1st Largo Brownies Diamond Anniversary celebration in the mid-1980s. Many still fondly remember this remarkable lady whose legacy will live on for a long time to come.
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Upper Largo Shops and Residents

2/9/2020

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As a follow-up to the post about Central Garage, the above postcard image (circa 1905) of the east end of Upper Largo's Main Street shows the site of the garage prior to its establishment. The house on the extreme right is where the Harris family lived before moving to Manelian in the mid-1920s. Next door to the left of that are buildings that were also owned by James Harris. These included a laundry, a draper's shop and a saddler's business around this time.

Meanwhile, on the left hand side of the road are an interesting set of businesses with some legible signage visible (see enlarged image below). On the far left of the image is a single storey cottage with a sign on the roof that reads CYCLISTS REST REFRESHMENTS. This may have been associated with the grocer shop which was located in the building around this time. The rising popularity of cycling, as well as the proximity to T.G. Wishart's cycle maker and repair workshop, made it a good business decision to target cyclists in need of refreshment. 

Next door, where the group of children are standing, was Peter Cowie's chemist. Then we come to Robert Melville the plumber (whose sign is visible high on the side of his shop). Beyond that, is Thomas Black shoemaker - some of his signage is still visible on the building today. The final building which can only just be seen at the end of this side of the street, with the group of three people standing by the door (one in a long striped apron), is the butcher. At the time this was run by William Bousie Simpson. Perhaps it is the man himself that stands at the door wearing his butcher's apron.

Clearly everyone was aware of the presence of the photographer when this view was captured. Perhaps it was in fact Peter Cowie the chemist who was responsible for the photograph, as he had a darkroom and sold photography supplies. Maybe he invited his neighbours to be part of the scene. Taken in winter with bare trees and well-wrapped up children, the inclusion of so many local people in the image really adds to its historic value.
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