​The postcard shown above was posted on 26 August 1908 by someone who was residing at Prospect Bank in Lower Largo. The message had been written earlier that day at 11:15am and the writer clearly hoped that their message would reach the recipient in Glasgow later the same day. Their message read:

Elsie is first in her German Exam. Isn't it grand? Bob sent a telegram this morning. She is almost wild with delight. This is another fine day. With kindest remembrances to all. Yours etc. J

P.S. I hope you get this tonight.

Clearly Elsie's exam result was important news among their circle of family and friends. The news was shared with some urgency via telegram and postcard.

The late Victorian villa on Crescent Road in Lundin Links pictured above was originally named Braemar and, interestingly, its origins are intertwined with the Railway Inn in Lower Largo.

Long before the dwelling was built, Kirkcaldy-born George Brown and his Kinghorn-born wife Agnes (nee Mitchell) ran the Railway Inn. George had followed in the footsteps of his father William Brown, a Leven-born spirit merchant. He had married Agnes, a housemaid, on 23 February 1886 in Kirkcaldy by which time George was already inn-keeper at the Railway Inn. The notice below appeared in the 27 February 1886 Fifeshire Advertiser.
​

It was the Clarks who secured this triangular feu - one of the earliest to be taken up in this phase of development. Subsequently the villa named Braemar was built upon it and the family of three moved in upon completion. Perhaps, being a stone mason, George Clark, was directly involved in the construction. By the summer of 1896, the property was being let to summer visitors - see example below from the 8 August 1896 Fife News, when the McCraig family from Edinburgh were staying there. So, to an extent, Agnes was continuing in the hospitality business that she had become used to as an inn-keeper's wife.

The census of 1901 finds George, Agnes and William at Braemar, where George is still described as a stone mason. However, the three would soon be living somewhere else - the Railway Inn. The licensee had changed a couple of times at the inn since Agnes had left in 1892. When the Railway Inn came up for sale in 1906, Agnes Clark decided to buy it. Her son William, who had been born on the premises, became barman and she was landlady. George switched occupation to Insurance Agent, according to the 1911 census. By 1921, Agnes and George were still at the Railway Inn and George was now described as a 'spirit merchant'. Stepson William Brown was now the tenant at the Crown Bar at 181 High Street, Kirkcaldy, where he remained for decades. The name A. Clark can be seen on the sign on the gable end of the Railway Inn in the photograph below taken on the day the first car drove over the road bridge at Largo Harbour on 3 October 1914.
​

Braemar was put up for sale when the Clarks moved to the Railway Inn. The advert below dates to the 14 February 1907 Leven Advertiser. The next occupant was Dr John Jamieson physician and surgeon. He was noted at the house in the 1911 census, with his wife Emily Clayton Jamieson and 3 year old twin daughters Jessie and Elizabeth, plus one servant. They retained the house name Braemar.

Around 1915, the house name changed from Braemar to Dundarroch - the name by which the villa is still known today. For many years it was occupied by Andrew Somerville, who I was interested to learn had a passageway made between the house and the back of his grocer shop on Leven Road.

​George Clark died in 1931 at Rossini Place in Lundin Links, although by then his usual residence was Murrayville on Links Road in Leven. Agnes Clark returned to her native Kinghorn, living at King's Drive in a home named Braemar - a name which that house there retains to this day. The notice below is from 4 November 1939 Fife Free Press.

The postcard above was posted in August 1909 and features three ladies at the Serpentine. Despite being posted in Upper Largo, the postcard was sold by John Welsh at the Post Office in Lower Largo, suggesting that the sender himself walked this path between the upper and lower villages. The message on the reverse reads:

Dear Jim, 

We are staying at Viewforth this month. I had a fine catch of partans this morning. Would you like one? Pa and George were golfing. This is Ma's birthday. Love to all.

Arthur

Partans are crabs and the question of 'would you like one?' is of course a joke - particularly as the recipient was Mr James Clark of Nelson, British Colombia. The postcard was sent to him care of the Post Office there, shown below when it was newly opened just a few years before. Perhaps Jim had recently emigrated there from Scotland.

​Arthur's family were staying just a short stroll from the Serpentine path at Viewforth (both of which feature on the map above). The Serpentine Walk is a historic tree-lined path linking Lower Largo to Upper Largo, now managed by the Woodland Trust.  The name 'Serpentine' is a commonly-used one for paths, rivers, lakes and the like which curve and twist like a snake.  Viewforth (at the right on the map) was originally the site of a salt work and was once also referred to as 'Largo Pans' or simply 'the Pans'. Later the location became popular for summer visitors - being well placed for seabathing and getting away from it all.
​

​The three ladies in the Serpentine postcard image are shown very clearly. I wonder whether they were visitors or locals. The woman above is looking directly into the camera lens and is clearly carrying something in each hand. The two older women below looked as if posed to be in conversation, with the houses of South Feus in the background. I wonder whether the three just happened to be around when the photographer was on location and were asked to be in shot. It would be fascinating to know more about the scene and who these individuals were. The photographer would have been one hired by James Valentine and Sons to capture local views. Valentines hired a team of photographers to document villages, towns and cities and places of interest across the country to use on their postcards and souvenir booklets. 
​

Many old postcards views of the Serpentine Walk featured people - to provide scale and interest, such as the example above. The Serpie is still a handy and enjoyable walk today with a great view of Largo Law as you approach Upper Largo.
​

Within the harbour at Lower Largo, historic mooring posts can be seen alongside their modern counterparts. In the image above a gnarly old post can be seen in the left foreground that could be a couple of centuries old. The posts are marked on maps dating back to the mid-1850s and are shown in detail on the 1912 map below.

The map detail includes the words 'Post' and 'Posts' at the harbour mouth. These features mark the Lundie rocks, guiding vessels away from this hazard. There are also several annotations of 'M.P.s' (an abbreviation of mooring posts) to indicate places to tie up vessels - both within the harbour and on the pier itself. On the map the series of mooring posts continues under both the footbridge and the viaduct up to the mill. Some of these posts may be contemporary to the significant work was done on the pier in 1819.

The image above, cropped from a postcard view, clearly shows a series of four posts marking the Lundie Rocks just beyond them. The more modern sketch of Largo Harbour below is also annotated with the poles at the Lundies. 

In the circa 1900 scene above, from a George Washington Wilson photograph, a series of wooden mooring bollards can be clearly seen on the pier. Ships mooring ropes were secured to these bollards, which are positioned some distance from the face of the pier as they had to be founded in a secure part of the structure. The strains imposed on mooring bollards can be severe, particularly when the moored ship is subjected to very strong winds. These stresses are even greater in the case of sailing ships with a considerable windage. The image below shows a topsail schooner with a long mooring line attached to a bollard, likely calling at the harbour in connection with potato trading activity.

In the photograph above of David Ballingall's Forget-Me-Not (a 48.5 feet fishing boat with the registration KY 2011) entering the harbour, wooden fenders can be seen lining the face of the pier. These acted as fenders to protect the stonework and vessel’s hulls from any damage. The highest fending on the pier are what were known as “branders”. These were put in place to protect the paddle steamers from damage by the uneven stonework of the Pier. The branders were of such a height that the paddles were still protected when lying alongside at high water, spring tides.

Largo harbour's distinctive posts even appear in artworks such as the painting above by David Martin and many of the local pieces created by George Leslie Hunter, including the sketch below. No doubt these characterful features continue to inspire artists to this day.

Thomas Cairns was born in Lower Largo on 26 April 1867 to Robert Cairns, a fisherman, and his wife Ann Warrender. His father was originally from Methil and his mother from Buckhaven but in the early 1860s the family had relocated to Drummochy. Thomas was one of ten children. At the time of the 1881 census, fourteen year old Thomas was noted as a scholar, while an elder brother worked at the nearby Oil & Cake Mill and one of his sisters at the Cardy Net Works.

When Thomas left school, the expectation was that he would follow his father into fishing. This was not the occupation that Thomas wanted for himself. However, with money tight and Largo harbour on his doorstep, his first job was indeed fishing in the Forth, alongside other Largo men. Aged sixteen, Thomas took steps to find an alternative option. He, along with another local lad, walked through snow to Pathhead (part of Kirkcaldy) to look for Captain Swan, the skipper of a deep sea trading vessel. The Captain told them to come and join his ship at Dundee.

However, without the necessary funds to travel to Dundee, a disappointed Thomas had to return to the life of a fisherman - at least in the short term. Thomas resolved to save every halfpenny he could towards his eventual move out of Largo. By the age of nineteen, he had accumulated sufficient savings for a single fare to Glasgow and accommodation in a seaman's home for one week. Within days of arriving there, he had signed up on a home trade sailing ship, where earned enough money to send some back home.

With some experience behind him, Thomas eventually achieved his dream of joining a deep sea trader and for a number of years travelled to locations such as the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Baltic. In 1892, aged 25, he married Davina Gillies in Leith. Davina had grown up with Thomas in Lower Largo. She was the daughter of fisherman David Gillies and Christina Abbie, who lived at Defoe Place. In 1893, Thomas and Davina's daughter, and only child, Christina Abbie Cairns was born. Soon afterwards, Thomas gave up his sea-faring job on the Methil-Hamburg trade to be based at Methil Docks - first as berthing master, and later deputy dockmaster. In the 1901 census the family were at East High Street Methil.

Thomas carried out his duties as Bo'ness Harbourmaster for 22 and a half years, before retiring in September 1930. His retirement came about due to a new upper age limit, and his deputy of 17 years, Robert Smith, took over as dockmaster. To mark his retirement, Thomas was entertained by traders, pilots and other officials in the Douglas Hotel and was presented with a wallet of Treasury notes. During the speeches, the changes over time at the docks were highlighted. Notably, during the past year only one solitary sailing vessel had arrived in Bo'ness Dock as compared with 287 of that type in 1908.
​

Thomas spent most of his retirement living at Inch Vanie, on Church Road, Leven (pictured above). In 1942, Thomas and Davina celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary. Several years before this, Thomas had bought a bottle of champagne to put away for this special occasion. However, when the happy day came around, it was the middle of the Second World War, and a champagne celebration felt inappropriate. The couple decided to gift the bottle to Leven Warship Week Committee and offers were invited for the bottle, to support this cause (see 15 April 1942 Leven Mail piece below).

Thomas also made many ships in bottles and was a talented painter. While he created some landscapes, most of his artworks were of the sea or of ships. Thomas said "I have enjoyed every minute of my retirement and one of my greatest likings is to make these models. I make them just for the love of it and then I give them away". On 5 February 1952, Thomas and Davina reached their Diamond Wedding Anniversary. Local newspapers noted that the pair were in good health and had three grandchildren and one great-grandchild. However, Davina passed away on 2 August 1953 aged 83 years. Thomas died on 4 January 1955 at the age of 87. The 5 January 1955 Dundee Courier below reported his death at Bridge of Earn hospital. The piece described Thomas as "one of East Fife's best-known personalities in shipping circles". 
​

The sender of this 1903 postcard hoped that Miss Allan would like the view of Drummochy. On the reverse, the writer continued... 

Got home all right and found Father and Mother well. Raining cats and dogs. Hope it will fair before morning.

There's certainly lots to like about the view and many details worth highlighting, many of which are long gone. The fishing nets out drying on tall posts, next to the Net House, are marked (1). Feature (2) is the lost buildings of Cellar Brae of which only traces remain today. Detail (3) is a short section of stone wall situated at the turn in Drummochy Road (shown in more detail further below), which presumably acted to control to flow of road users at a blind corner. 

At point (4) you can see the tracks in the sand where carts crossed the burn, alongside a couple of mooring posts. (5) is a gate - a partial barrier to slow movement towards the footbridge at (6). Detail (7) is a very productive looking garden full of a growing crop, while (8) are washing lines and posts. Note that these rear gardens, sitting at a much lower level than Woodlands Road (9) above, would have been cut short when the viaduct (10) was constructed in the 1850s. In the circa 1900 image the viaduct was less than 50 years old. Now it has been out of use for longer than that.
​

It's incredible to think that these streets were once completely devoid of motor vehicles. How much quieter and slower the pace of life must have been. It's also interesting to see how patches of land once put to practical and productive use growing food or drying laundry are now used for more leisurely pursuits, such as storage of pleasure boats or benches and summer houses to sit out in. The image below shows a mid-point in that transition, where the nets are still being dried but use of outdoor spaces for relaxation has increased. The wooden footbridge has been replaced by the road bridge and the days of the railway are numbered.

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.
​

The above photograph features the Robinson Crusoe statue on Lower Largo's Main Street, on the day of its unveiling. The evergreen branches around the edges of the image are some of the many decorations around the village on that momentous day - 11 December 1885. The base of the statue (see detail below) is inscribed with the words T Stuart Burnett A.R.S.A. Sc. 1885 to indicate that the sculptor was Thomas Stuart Burnett, an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy, and that the piece was sculpted in 1885. Burnett was present on the day of the unveiling, along with his wife.

The day after the 1885 statue unveiling the Fife Free Press reported that...

"There has now been completed by Mr T. Stuart Burnett, A.R.S.A., a life-size statue, in bronze, of Robinson Crusoe. It is placed in a niche in the wall in front of the cottage where he is said to have been born, and stands about six feet high. It is spiritedly designed and perfectly executed, and it certainly tells its own story. There is no dubiety as to who the figure is intended to represent. To all who have read the romance of his first voyage, it looks like an old friend. Crusoe is clad in his rough coat of goat's skins, with torn and tattered breeches of the same material. His muscular legs are bare from knees down. His feet are enclosed in skin strapped down. His left hand is slightly pressed on an old rifle, while his right shades his eyes, which are looking expectantly to sea as if to snatch the glimpse of a passing sail. An old Scottish claymore hangs by the left side, while an old war axe hangs from his right side. The cap is also of skin. Altogether the figure is a satisfactory model, and a true representation of Robinson Crusoe". 

William Walkington's blog biography celebrates the productive life Thomas Stuart Burnett, cut short by his untimely death at the age of 34 years in 1888. Largo is fortunate to be graced by an fine example of Burnett's work, which continues to gaze down from the same location of its unveiling some 140 years ago.
​

Catherine Selkirk was born in Largo on 29 January 1779 and was baptised two days later in the presence of the congregation of Largo Kirk, as the record below tells us. Her parents were "John Selkirk weaver in Nether Largo and Margaret Martin his spouse". Nether Largo was the name used then for Lower Largo. The above photograph appeared in the book 'Seatoun of Largo' by Ivy Jardine (1982). John Selkirk (Catherine's father) was the son of Alexander Selkirk, who in turn was the son of David Selkirk (or Selcraig), the eldest brother of the famous Alexander Selkirk. This made Catherine 'Robinson Crusoe's' great-grand-niece.
​

When Catherine was eight years old her mother Margaret died. The record below shows that she died on 14 December 1787 and was buried on 17 December. Just over a year later, her father John remarried, to Isabel Peattie or Pattie.

So what was life like in Largo around that time?

The Old Statistical Account of 1792, written by the Reverend Mr Spence Oliphant of Largo Kirk, provides some insight to daily life. In terms of health and wellbeing, the account tells of how "coughs are very general, rheumatism and other inflammatory complaints are not infrequent. Epidemic disorders sometimes appear..." often affecting those on "a low and spare diet". The typical diet of the population was described as "meagre broth, potatoes, cheese, butter in small quantities, and a preparation of meal in different forms, make up their constant fare". Meat was generally reserved for "a birth or marriage, or some other festival".
​

At the time fish were "scarce" and "at present there is not a fisherman in Largo, and only 1 in Drummochy, who fishes in the summer and catches rabbits in the winter". The pier at Largo was in existence at the time "where vessels of 200 ton may receive or discharge their cargoes". In the Parish there were 3 corn mills, 2 barley mills, 3 lint mills and 2 salt pans. The main industry of the Parish was weaving, of mostly "linens and checks", with every weaver having access to a bleaching ground. The flax was mostly imported but was dressed and spun in the village. The image below provides some impression of how the buildings along the shore at Lower Largo looked at this time, although this particular artwork dates to a several decades later.

The Old Statistical Account also refers specifically to Alexander Selkirk and noted that "the chest and musket which Selkirk had with him on the island, are now in the possession of his grand-nephew, John Selkirk, weaver in Largo", referring to the father of Catherine. Upon the death of John Selkirk, Catherine became the keeper of the relics. These well-travelled artefacts had been left behind by Alexander around 1717 when he departed the village suddenly with Sophia Bruce.

Catherine Selkirk married fisherman/ linen weaver David Gillies in 1799. Some sources state that the couple had thirteen children but it is difficult to be certain as records are incomplete. In the census of 1841 (see extract above) David, Catherine, David junior (a fisherman) and Janet are listed in the household, as well as Catherine's sister Margaret Selkrig, aged 50. David Gillies died in 1846, leaving Catherine a widow. In the 1851 census (below) Catherine was recorded, aged 72, along with the only other member of the household - a 10-year-old grandchild, Christian Gillies. 
​

Catherine lived to see the arrival of the railway in Largo in 1857, which must have been momentous for the community. At the time of the 1861 census she was living alone, and she died the following year, on 1 February 1862, just days after her 83rd birthday. Her obituary in the local press spoke of a "pleasant spoken" woman, who had experienced a life of labour and of "toiling, rejoicing, sorrowing". Having lost her mother as a child and predeceased by several children - sorrow was a theme throughout her life, yet this was coupled with a lifelong association with her famous relative and the home in which she lived was surrounded by public interest. 

Among the children who outlived her were:

Margaret Allan nee Gillies (married shoemaker David Allan); born c 1801, died 1876 aged 75
Samuel Gillies (fisherman); born c 1808, died in 1892 aged 84 at Bower House, Lower Largo
Christina Deas nee Gillies (married fisherman John Deas); born c1813,  died 1894 aged 81
James Gillies (fisherman/whaler); born 1816, died 1902 aged 87
Alexander Gillies (fisherman); born c1823, died 1898 aged 76

On her death record below her mother was incorrectly noted as Isabella Peattie, who was actually her step-mother. Her son Samuel registered her death and must have been illiterate as he signed with a cross as 'his mark'. Catherine was buried at the new cemetery very recently opened in the Parish. Soon after her death, the old cottage and birthplace of Alexander Selkirk (1676-1721) was demolished and the current Crusoe Buildings built upon the site. The relics so long cared for by Catherine were sold - finally separated from the birthplace of their former owner.
​

Pictured above is a carte de visite by John Patrick of Leven, featuring a model of the house in which Alexander Selkirk lived in Lower Largo. The name 'Patrick' and the place 'Leven' can be seen in tiny writing on the left of the card and on the reverse is the photography studio's logo of the time (see below). This photograph of the model house can be dated to circa 1865. 
​

The actual house was likely not quite as neat and straight-edged as the model suggests. The engraving below by William Ballingall from his 1872 book 'Shores of Fife' shows the same number of windows and doors but a more uneven rooftop and gables. The engraving also shows some additional detail in terms of the adjoining structures, which provide more context. Note the crow-stepped gables - some examples of which can still be seen on Main Street today.

Adjoining Crusoe Buildings were additional new dwellings, including 'Twin House', shown below, which was made for inseparable twin brothers William and Robert Gillies, owners of the fishing boat Ocean Bride. Several properties were built in total in a distinctive terrace - now 99 - 113 Main Street.
​

The model of the old cottage survived for many decades, receiving some repairs and repainting along the way. It looked slightly different by the early 1980s and appeared as below in the book 'Seatoun of Largo'. If you know what became of the scale model of the Selkirk family home - please leave a comment.
​