Once known as 'East House', the last house at the east end of the Temple has undergone significant alterations over the years. Above is a painting from the mid-1960s by Derek Hansen showing the house in a transition phase - between the original traditional weaver's cottage of the mid-1800s and the extended modern home that it is now (see below). The 1960s version of the house had already seen a series of windows added to the east-facing gable end. Originally, there were no windows on the east side - as can be seen in the John Blair paintings of circa 1910 further below.
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The above pair of images show the east end of The Temple circa 1900 (above) and 2019 (below). The scene is largely unchanged - bar the alterations to a number of the buildings and the lack of boats at this end of the beach these days. However, evidence does remain to this day of the use of the sandy gap between the rocks by fishermen. Below is a close up of an old mooring ring (in foreground).

Maps of this area show the narrow but useful gap between rock strata in line with the end of The Temple - showing why boats were once a common feature here. 
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​The houses in the centre above, with the red roofs can be dated to 1857. The building named 'Seabrae' has the inscription shown below. 

Following the previous two posts - Sentimental Journey and A Postman's Lot - this post looks at a third short film made by the late Ernest Mackie. Another collection of postie-related antics, 'Carry on Postman' can be viewed here.

If you are trying to work out where in Largo is featured from 1:39 into the film, don't even try.....it's 7 Bowling Green Street in Methil (with Denbeath Miners' Welfare Institute at the street end). However, the vast majority of the filming takes place in Lower Largo with post mistress Elizabeth Grassick and postmen Wattie Blyth, Edward Stephen, and Ernest Mackie himself, in the lead roles.

Does anyone recall any Ernest Mackie films other than these three? Do you have a copy of them?  Anyone willing to assist with finding, converting to digital and sharing more of these gems, please do get in touch. 

The short films made by Ernest Mackie brought much pleasure to the local community - both back in the 1960s when they were first made and for many years afterwards at community screenings. An earlier post shared the railway-themed film 'Sentimental Journey'. This film - entitled 'A Postman's Lot' features the Lower Largo Post Office staff, along with several locals playing cameo roles (not to mention pet dogs!) and can be viewed here. Brilliantly humorous and entertaining, this film also provides a unique snapshot of life in Largo at the time. 

Let's not forget the talent of Ernest Mackie, the film maker, who died last year and all of the willing participants that took part in this film - particularly post mistress Elizabeth Grassick and postmen Wattie Blyth and Edward Stephen. What fun they must have had coming up with the sketches and practising acting them out. Can you identify the various homes featured?

A few stills from the film are shown below.

Many will remember with great fondness the cine films made by Ernest Mackie back in the 1960s. Featuring subject matter such as the railway and the local posties. Often humorous - these films were publicly screened from time to time at venues such as the Simpson Institute and the Old Baptist Meeting Hall. Some locals were fortunate enough to have copies of the original films put onto DVD and one of them has suggested sharing the films more widely via this site, so that local people can relive the memories, perhaps see themselves (or people they know) in the films and appreciate once again the talent of Ernest Mackie. 

Ernest was truly ahead of his time in terms of the skill and quality of his film-making. When you watch these short films, please do take time to remember that these were made with 1960s technology. A huge amount of care and thought went into the filming, editing, captioning, music, etc. The first film (which you can link to from here) is entitled 'Sentimental Journey' and it captures perfectly the sadness at the loss of the East of Fife railway line and its stations. It features a very moving poem and shows a mix of clips from both before and after the line's closure. A few stills from the film are shown below.

Sadly, Ernest Mackie passed away on 23 August 2019 at the age of 88. 

Above is a circa 1900 photograph of some fence building work at Craigie Bank (116-118 Main Street Lower Largo). This image is now part of the University of St Andrews Photographic Collection. To the immediate left in the background is the house now known as 'Friday' (108 Main Street). Then left of that are the now flatted dwellings of Whin Brae (the upper dwelling at number 104) and Bay Nook (the lower flat at 106 Main Street). All of these homes have undergone alterations since the time of the photograph.

The overlay image below puts the photo into the wider context, looking from the sea back at Main Street, with Cardy House out of shot to the right, in a 1940s view.
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Below is the sea-facing side of number 108 in the 1970s (courtesy of Canmore).

Below is the seaward elevation of numbers 104 and 106, showing its circa 1940s extension to the right.

Below are present day images of Whin Brae and Bay Nook from the street-facing side.

The location in the above photograph is most commonly known as The Orry, or sometimes Orra. However, this name is seldom seen in an official written form. There is no name sign there and it tends not to be labelled on maps. It is most often referred to in the spoken word and that has led to fairly wide variation over the years in its spelling.

Although the name probably goes back to at least the 19th century, early written mentions are few and far between. Back in 1939, when the location was designated as a "regulation parking place" by the District Council (see 5 Aug Fife Free Press notice below), the spelling was given as "Awry". 

Now here is a coincidence (pointed out by a blog reader yesterday) the owner of the Eaglesham estate from 1844 was none other than Allan Gilmour, who went on to purchase the Lundin Estate in 1872. Although, Allan Gilmour was not involved in a hands-on capacity locally, his son John was (before and after he inherited Lundin estate). Could Sir John Gilmour (and/or any employees brought over from the Eaglesham estate) have introduced the term 'Orry' to the local population? Or was it already in use in Largo by 1872 (evolving independently from the Scots 'aurrie')? If you know of a reference locally to 'Orry' before 1872 - please comment.

Meanwhile, the local variation in spelling continued over the decades. In 1959, when plans were being formulated for the Sailing Club, the Leven Mail went with the spelling 'Orrey' (see below).
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Once the days of the Largo Children's Gala came - with the regular parade commencing at the Orry - references to the spot became more common in the newspapers. Below are clips from 1975, 1982 and 1983 and all use the name 'Orra'. Orra is a well-known Scots word meaning either 'spare', 'odd' or 'occasional' - with an 'orraman' being an odd job man. It's tempting to think of the space as somewhere historically that odd jobs were carried out. 

However, by 1984 the spelling 'Orrie' was being used instead (see advert below featuring Crusoe from that year). It was still used in 1993 - see further below.
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This street map from 1996 - perhaps the most official reference among this selection - favoured the label 'The Orra'.

To complicate matters further, another name used for the space has been 'Market Square'. The above snippet from the 20 August 1938 Fife Free Press describes how a driver (presumably having picked up speed coming down Durham Wynd) collided with the telephone box at the Orry. The phone box in question is marked on the map below as TCB (telephone call box). Anyway, the 'Market Square' name (connected with fish markets perhaps) seems not to have stuck.
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So, what you do call the Orry? And how would you spell it? Have you heard stories about the origins of the term? Any information would be most welcome. To conclude this lengthy post - an image of The Orry from the beach, looking towards Goodsir House plus a crowd-filled Orry back in 1975 - eagerly awaiting the start of the Gala parade (courtesy of the East Fife Mail).
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Above is a 'before and after' comparison of the signal box at Largo Station. On the left an image captured shortly before the station's closure. On the right the same view not long after closure, when the weeds and vandals had begun to make their mark. The last passenger train ran on 5th September 1965. Goods services were withdrawn on 18th July 1966. The line was officially closed on 18th December that year - although the very last train to run on the line was April 1967.

Below is a shot featuring the British Railways totem with the station name: 'Largo' (in the classic 'hot dog' shape). These station totems (and other signage such as the one on the signal box above) came in a range of colours, all featuring the Gill Sans font. While signs in Scotland were light blue, North Eastern was orange, Great Western Region was brown, the Midland Region was maroon, Southern Region was dark green and Eastern Region was dark blue. This corporate identity was introduced 1948/9 and was replaced in the late 1960s (post the Beeching cuts and too late to apply Largo or Lundin Links Stations). 

The 'lion on wheel' emblem was also introduced in 1948/9 and can also be seen below on the banking among the flowers to the left of the totem sign. It's shown again below post-closure in an abandoned (yet still visible) state some years later. Further below is the official BR emblem upon which it was based.
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Below are some more scenes of dereliction at Largo Station. Firstly, some rather scruffy looking platforms and tracks superimposed on the same scene in better times (taken from the footbridge over the tracks). Next the levers inside the signal box, through broken glass. Finally, an overgrown track-side, looking through the footbridge. Around 1970/71 the Largo Station buildings were demolished. ​

More 'after the closure' photos of Largo Station are here and for Lundin Links Station click here.
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A comparison of Crusoe Buildings (on the right, looking west) - with a circa 1900 view at the top and a contemporary view below. Not much changed? On closer inspection the Crusoe Buildings have undergone a fair amount of remodelling over the last 120 years, with significant changes to the window arrangement and an attic conversion. It was modernised and reconstructed in 1936 according to the newspaper archives. Recent years have seen further renovation. Happily, the statue is unchanged - although it did enjoy a holiday in Glasgow in the 1980s.

Capturing this view without cars featuring in it, is impossible today and no longer does the road feature physical evidence of horses. A new window has appeared in the gable end of neighbouring number 97. The church bellcote has gone and indeed the church building is no longer in use as a church. 

​Below some small details are picked out. Note the child at the door of the former 'Very Crafty' shop. The buildings once housed a Barber's Shop (see announcement from 13 June 1912 Leven Advertiser further below).
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The above photograph was taken by the late Robert Carswell Paxton of Homelands. It may have been taken around 1902 when the Paxtons settled in Largo (initially staying at Drum Lodge). This is still in the days of the wooden footbridge (see left of image) which preceded the building of the road bridge. Incidentally, the photograph of the first car crossing the road bridge is also thought to have been taken by Robert Paxton, who must have been quite a keen amateur photographer.

The detail below shows a team of three painters working on the exterior walls on what appears to be a bright sunny day. Alexandra House (now the site of Lower Largo's one remaining shop) can be seen to the left of the Crusoe. Further below is detail showing Bridgend House, the Railway Inn and Belmont Temperance Hotel (in an elevated position to the right of the bridge over the railway line). Miss Mary Carswell was proprietor of the Belmont at the time of this photo. I wonder whether she may have been related to Robert Paxton's mother Janet Carswell. At the foot of this post is an advert from 1908 for the Belmont Hotel when the proprietors were the Misses Sawyer.