Salmon have been fished around Scotland's coasts for hundreds of years and Largo Bay was once a prime site for this activity. Salmon begin their lives in fresh water before moving out to sea, but later return to their original rivers to spawn. Their predictable migration pattern coupled with more advanced traps meant that by the early nineteenth century salmon fishing had become a well-organised operation involving stake nets such as the one shown in the photograph above.
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The extract above from the Largo Parish section of the New Statistical Account of Scotland, recorded in 1837 by Reverend Robert Brown, states that a salmon stake-net fishery was started some years previously at "different stations". His report suggests that, while initially the enterprise was not financially viable, it had recently been resumed and was now more prosperous. The census of 1841 in Largo records five men who stated their occupation as 'salmon fisher'. Of those men, four resided at the Temple and the other at Viewforth, suggesting that the focus of the salmon fishing at the time was to the east of Lower Largo.

The shelving sandy beaches of Largo Bay suited the use of stake-nets. These systems are described in 'The Firth of Forth An Environmental History' by T.C. Smout and Mairi Stewart as follows:

"They consisted of rows of poles up to 800 yards long, erected between high- and low-water marks, fastened together with ropes from which curtains of nets were suspended; these were set at an angle to the shore so as to form leaders towards other enclosures of netting, or 'courts', with entrances designed to admit the salmon but so labyrinthine and protected by net bottoms and lids so that they could not find their way out again."

The fish court is emptied of fish at low tide. There were regulations about when the fishing could be carried out. A close season coincided with the salmon breeding season (mid-August to mid-February from 1824) and even during the fishing season there was a weekly close time, traditionally 24 hours from midnight on Saturday nights. At close times the nets had to be lifted. Many newspaper reports from the archives tell of incidences when salmon fishers failed to do this. Below is an example from the 19 October 1910 Leven Advertiser, where Alexander Simpson was unable to take in his nets due to stormy weather but was still fined.

​Occasionally, species other than salmon, such as seals and porpoises, found their way into the nets and this is also a feature of the newspaper archives. In 1874, for example, Largo salmon fisher, James Clark, caught a large porpoise and brought it alive to the annual horticultural event in Keil's Den to be exhibited.

The right to fish for salmon in Scotland - whether in the sea or in inland waters - is a heritable right (i.e. like land ownership it can be inherited). In the heyday of salmon fishing in Largo there were three salmon fisheries, one owned by Strathairly estate, one owned by Largo estate and one by Lundin estate, each let to an occupier who managed the salmon station. The tenant had the exclusive right to fish for salmon in the area of his fishery. The 'tack' or lease of a fishing tended to be auctioned annually. The unpredictability of the catch made it difficult for local fishermen to place large bids and this often resulted in larger-scale interests from outside the local area winning auctions.

As the next few blog posts will detail, operators from places such as Edinburgh and Montrose were among those taking on the Largo stations at various points in history. Tenants also often rented buildings in which to store their gear and were entitled to dry their nets on frames erected on the nearby shore. The painting below is a great example of a scene of nets drying - in this case at Lundin Salmon Fishings at Drummochy, by the Net House at Cellar Braes. More on this particular salmon fishing station in the next post.

Painting by James Riddel R.S.W. (1857-1928), entitled "Auld Reekie from Largo". Read more here.

Hanging on the wall at reception in the Crusoe Hotel is an old photograph of the hotel circa 1900, with a substantial double-masted vessel berthed in front of it in the harbour. The boat in question is the Erika, a Russian schooner.

In 1885 while visiting Montrose, Erika featured in newspapers, having lost a man overboard in a terrific storm. The above piece is from the 16 October 1885 Dundee Evening Telegraph. The piece tells us that Erika belonged to the port of Abo in FInland (also known as Turku, pictured below) which was Russian controlled at the time. The vessel had been laden with battens to be delivered to the woodyard of Robert Millar and sons. The firm's more modern sawmill is shown in the photograph at the foot of the post. What type of cargo the Erika was bringing to Largo is unclear, as is how regular a visitor she was. 

The artwork above is by George Leslie Hunter the Scottish Colourist. Hunter frequented Largo in the early to mid 1920s and a previous post has looked at some of his works which are instantly recognisable as Largo. For example, he painted Largo Pier many times and also captured scenes of the Pier Pavilion, the viaduct, Drum Lodge, the beach and the flour mill at Lundin Mill. However, there are also pieces which are not immediately obvious as being Largo. The above image is one example of this. While the focus of the piece is a lady in a striking hat, there are also points of interest visible outside the window.  The annotated image below aims to interpret the features seen.
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So where was this lady sitting? I believe that this is a covered balcony on the terraced buildings originally known as "Edina View", "Rock View" and "Beach House"  (also known locally as The Barracks). The image below indicates a likely spot looking down to the curved sea wall and beyond to the pier.
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The female sitter in the distinctive hat would appear to be the same lady captured in another of Hunter's artworks - The Blue Hat (oil on canvas, 1925), shown below. The hat has the same shape and same design detail. The background again looks very much like it is Largo Bay.
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Another sketch of Hunter's (below) was also made at 'The Barracks' location. Also featuring a short-haired woman, this balcony looks a bit more open than the one in the top image but it features the distinctive railings of these flats. Properties within Edina View, Rock View and Beach House were let to summer visitors in the mid-1920s. An example advert is further below, from 29 August 1924 Scotsman. It may be that George Leslie Hunter stayed in the building on one or more of his visits. However, one venue where he certainly stayed on more than one occasion was the Belmont Hotel. He is known to have been a guest there in the summers of both 1924 and 1925. The hotel was gutted by fire in January 1926, so clearly Hunter would have resided elsewhere when he returned to Largo in summer of 1926. If you know of other Largo properties where he might have stayed - please comment. 

This Remembrance Day the blog will focus in on just one of the names inscribed on Largo War Memorial - that of Sergeant Edward Smith. Born at the Temple, Largo on 14 September 1895 to fisherman Charles Smith and his wife Agnes Turnbull, Edward was their sixth son and one of eleven siblings, all of whom were alive at the time of 1911 census. In that census, aged 15, Edward was described as an apprentice plasterer. Elder brother David was also a plasterer. The family were living at Berwick View on Lower Largo's Main Street. Now known as Crampie (pictured below) this is the house which still displays a 'sun plaque' on its external wall. 

​Edward Smith joined the 1st/6th battalion of the Highland Light Infantry soon after the outbreak of war. He fought in Gallipoli and Palestine before later serving in France. After a visit home in August 1918, Edward was in northern France the following month at the time of the recapture of Cantaing. It was there that he was killed on 1 October 1918. The 17 October 1918 Leven Advertiser reported on the death of Edward, along with that of another local soldier, Thomas Johnston (see below). Edward is buried at Cantaing British Cemetery in France.

Edward (pictured above courtesy of Ancestry.co.uk) is also remembered at Largo cemetery on the grave of his parents (see below) as well as on Largo War Memorial.

Lest we forget.
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Following on from the previous post about Largo House, the Eagle Gate Lodge and Major Makgill Crichton, the article above from the 4 September 1902 Leven Advertiser reports on an "exciting incident in the bay". Makgill Crichton had recently succeeded to the estates of Largo, Lathrisk, Monzie and Barelaw and his title was Lieutenant (the rank at which he had served in the 78th Royal Highlanders). Recently married, he owned a steam launch, named Shelda or Zelda (both names are used in the article). It was upon this vessel that he and his wife had arrived in Largo to take up residence earlier in 1902.

However, on 30 August 1902, while waiting off Largo Harbour for additional passengers, ahead of going on to a yachting regatta at Leven, the Shelda/Zelda had an accident. She caught the Ring Rock about 100 yards from the harbour and began to list. The vessel was unable to move for about an hour until the ebbing tide eased her off the rock. The Ring Rock was described as having "a conical apex and flat sides". The Shelda/Zelda survived the incident relatively unscathed, aside from some damage to cabin crockery. The photograph below shows a similar steam launch, the 40-feet Netta, captured in 1899 by Lady Henrietta Gilmour of Montrave (courtesy of the University of St Andrews Special Collection). 
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No doubt Shelda/Zelda was not the first, nor the last vessel, to fall foul of the Ring Rock. So, what was the Ring Rock? A clue to how it was used could come from another Ring Rock, at Portknockie in Moray. Their heritage leaflet tells of the Ring Rock "off the mouth of the harbour" which was "used to kedge off sailing boats when the wind was light or adverse". Another local leaflet further describes the named rocks at Portknockie shoreline - see below - telling of how their Ring Rock once had a ring embedded in it. In their example, "ropes were passed from the quay and through the ring and were used to pull sailboats from the harbour until the wind caught their sails". 

​"Kedging" or "warping" is a technique for manoeuvring engineless vessels in calm conditions, including in and out of tight harbours, to a point where their sails could better catch the wind, by hauling on a line attached to a kedge anchor, a sea anchor or a fixed object. Small boats might simply throw the anchor in the intended direction of progress and haul in after it settles, pulling the boat in that direction. Larger vessels could use a smaller boat to carry the anchor ahead, drop it and then haul. An alternative approach would appear to be to used a fixed point outside the harbour as part of this process. If you have more information about the use of Largo's Ring Rock, please leave a comment.
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Can you help match the names mentioned in the 1893 article to the boulders that we see on the beach today?  If you can - please comment. Likewise if you are aware of other named rocks not mentioned in the piece - such as the ​Punch and Judy rocks at the Temple, please comment, so that this very localised information (which tends not to be formally recorded) can be saved for future generations.
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Hugh Cameron was born in Edinburgh in 1835, eldest son of tailor John Cameron and his wife Isabella Armstrong. At the age of 14 he became an apprentice in architecture and surveying. However, his true passion was for painting and by 1852 he was studying under Robert Scott Lauder. Cameron exhibited for the first time at the Royal Scottish Academy in 1854 at the age of nineteen (and went on to be represented at every exhibition bar two up until the year of his death). Having given up architecture entirely in 1856, he became an Associate of the RSA in 1859. The 1861 census describes Hugh Cameron as an 'artist figure painter' and the census of 1871 records him as living in India Street in Edinburgh as an 'artist (painting)'.

In 1877 at the age of 42, Hugh married widow Jessie Allan (nee Anderson) in Helensburgh. Their first daughter Margaret Kerr Cameron was born the following year. Their second daughter Isabella Armstrong Cameron was born the year after. The family then moved to London - Hugh following in the footsteps of many of his fellow Scottish painters. While based in London, at West Cromwell Road in Kensington, the couple had their son Hugh and a third daughter, Jessie. The family returned to Scotland after only a few years "not finding London very congenial". Based in Edinburgh at the time of the 1891 census, Hugh had already by this time discovered Largo as a place of inspiration. 

The full catalogue of his works exhibited at the RSA shows Viewforth (beyond the Temple at Largo) named as his studio base from 1889. In 1889 he produced works such as Pleasures of the Sea and The Timid Bather. These were followed by pieces such as Summer Pleasures and Morning by the Sea. Viewforth (the ruins of which are pictured below) was right on the shore of beautiful Largo Bay, was fairly private and isolated and had a quality of light quality just perfect for capturing seascapes. The fresh breezy weather and opportunity for sea-bathing was beneficial to the wider family and Cameron's pieces from this time often feature women and children by and in the sea.
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In fact Hugh was already associated with Largo by 1888. The piece above from the 10 February 1888 Fifeshire Advertiser shows him present at the annual dinner of Largo Curling Club. He continued to split his time between Edinburgh and Largo beyond 1905, when his wife Jessie (who produced her own paintings of Largo) passed away aged 59. One of the most recognisable scenes of Largo is the one below (Summer Pleasures, 1890) looking west along the bay towards the Crusoe Hotel. Further below is a selection of other works depicting Largo.
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In the 1901 census, Hugh, wife Jessie and two children, Isabel and Hugh, were recorded as residing at Elphinstone on Crescent Road (pictured above). The census took place on 31 March, perhaps suggesting that while this time of year was not conducive to being at Viewforth, the family still opted to be based in the Largo area. Two local women were also part of the household, employed as a cook and housemaid (see below).
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The above portrait of Hugh Cameron, painted by John Brown Abercromby in 1898, is significant because it depicts Cameron painting a scene of Largo Bay. The word 'Largo' is also incorporated into this artwork in the centre at the foot (see detail below). Although known as an Edinburgh artist, there is no doubt that Largo was an important place for Cameron, a place which not only inspired him but one which was also for a long time his home. The 16 July 1918 Scotsman included the following words in his obituary:

"For some years he resided in Fifeshire whence originated some attractive pictures of child life being painted sympathetically at play on the shore, the compositions having a sense of light and movement which have characterised the best of the later work of Scottish artists." 
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Hugh Cameron died in Edinburgh, aged 82, at the residence of his daughter, Isabella Armstrong Archibald, on Spottiswoode Street. He is buried in Grange Cemetery, Edinburgh along with Jessie and two of their daughters (see image at foot of post).
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The above photograph shows Harbour Wynd, heading south towards Lower Largo. The building at the corner with the black and white half-timbering was once Largo's Gas Showroom. Also once known as Gasworks Wynd or Toll Road, the Harbour Wynd showroom opened in 1935. The facility was adjacent to the gas retort house and cylinder and was owned by the Kennoway and Largo Gas Company, who quickly set about ingratiating themselves with the locals and the visitors in Largo. The piece below from the 20 August 1935 Leven Advertiser tells of how the manager installed a seat outside the showroom, overlooking Largo Bay, upon which were the words "to use more gas and enjoy more leisure".
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​Note the small cartoon character at the foot of several of the gas adverts above. This was 'Mr Therm' - a jolly character designed in 1933 by graphic designer Eric Fraser, which was used in the gas industry's advertising for around four decades. Mr Therm explained how gas worked, highlighted the benefits of using modern products and reminded people of the savings they could make by switching to gas. The slogan "Mr Therm burns to serve you" was often used.
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Many small town and village gas showrooms was in inconspicuous, modest buildings such as Largo's and the example below from Biggar (which still exists as a museum). As well as being a place to view and order gas appliances (available for rent, hire-purchase or sale) the gas showroom was a place folks went to pay their gas bills or to have appliances repaired.
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In 1965, Largo Gas Showroom was converted into a house and it is now known as Friday Cottage. These days, it is hard to imagine that this once had a shop front, a range of innovative home appliances on show and a queue of people waiting to pay their bills. If you have memories of the gas showroom, please leave a comment.
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Pictured above is Rollo Villa, an imposing three-storey house on the Temple at Lower Largo. This house dates to the early 1880s and is not dissimilar looking to its neighbour to the west, Serpentine Villa. As well as a sea view, Rollo Villa once enjoyed a great view of the railway line to the rear, with steam trains passing just feet away from the back door and garden. The photographs below, kindly shared by Ian Downie, show just how close the railway was to the back porch.

Ultimately James Clark's son, John Clark, a railway surfaceman, became the proprietor of the new villa built upon the site of the cottages. He named the new property Rollo Villa after his mother's maiden name. He and his wife Elizabeth Elder rented out the flatted property to summer visitors for many years. John Clark died at Rollo Villa in 1913 and the house passed on to his widowed daughter Mary Rollo Todd who had lived with him for some time and who had been married in Rollo Villa in 1890. Mary died in 1935 and the property passed on to her children Alexander and Elizabeth.

​Rollo Villa remained in the ownership of the same family until very recently. In the painting above, by John Blair, the rear of Rollo Villa can be seen within a grey and stormy scene. Below are some photographs outside Rollo Villa from the mid-1960s when the Downie family resided in the upper flat and Rollo Villa was owned by David Rollo (whose mini can be seen in one of the photos). One shows Mr Downie working on the retaining wall of the front garden across the road. In the photo of the four male Downie siblings, the neighbouring properties can be seen before the extensive renovation work which makes their appearance today very different.

When Largo had large deep sea fishing boats, these boats were made in boat building yards outside of the Parish. For example, the Ocean Bride (KY 4), was built by John Alexander Millar at West Anstruther in September 1882 for the Gillies brothers and David Ballingall's Forget-Me-Not (KY 2011) was built at Fulton's boatyard in Pittenweem the same year. The Osprey (KY 977) was built in Dysart and the British Queen (KY 1419) at Buckhaven. However, over the years many of Largo's smaller boats were made in Largo by local joiners and craftsmen. Below is a list of vessels known to have been built in Largo Parish. 

A more detailed list of the above boats, showing type, length, builder and year of build (where known) can be accessed as a PDF by clicking here. Note that most are ML registrations, rather than KY registrations. In 1904, a new regulation came into force that all new boats (and existing boats that chose to) could register in Methil rather than Kirkcaldy. The very first boat to do so was the Lizzie Cameron of St Monans, who became ML 1. Below is the report of her launch from 24 June 1904 East of Fife Record. Second was Sceptre of Cellardyke (ML 2), then Buckhaven's Thistle (ML 3 and ex-KY 622)). The first Largo-based boat to register at Methil was David Melville's Unity which was registered as ML 21 in 1905. By 1910, two hundred boats had been registered at Methil, one hundred of which had previously been KY boats.

Most of the vessels on the Largo-built list were probably built for Largo folk. For example, Lily (ML 56), was built in 1920 by Walter Horne for Alexander Simpson. Lily was a 1.16 tons sail boat (16.8 x 6.4 x 2.4 feet). However, some are known to have been built for people from other places. For example, in 1898, Thistle was built by Walter Horne for Alexander Thomson of Buckhaven. Thistle originally had the registration KY 468 but later became ML 70. All of the boats on the list (with the exception of the racing yachts) are under 20 feet in length reflecting the limited space in which their builders had to work.  Notable local boat builders were joiners Walter Horne and David Tait. Some vessels were also made by the Gillies brothers. 

The names of these local boats are predominantly female forenames - likely named after mothers, wives, sisters and daughters. The Marne was owned by Andrew Gillies of Goodsir House and was named after the battlefield where Tom Johnston of the 2nd Gordon Highlanders, won the Military Medal during the First World War. The Osprey was most likely named after the deep sea fishing boat Osprey (KY 977) - both vessels of that name being owned within the Gillies family. The Quaver and Semiquaver are also boats owned by the Gillies family but associated with racing rather than with fishing. Interestingly, the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther have recently placed another Quaver from Largo on display. Pictured below is the yawl from their collection, apparently built for David Gillies, of Cardy House in the 1870s.

Do you have information about (or pictures of) any of the Largo-built boats listed above? Do you know of other boats made over the years in the Largo area? If so, please do get in touch and let's add to the list.
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Lower Largo has a few characterful cobbled paths and pavements, some of which date back to circa 1880. Their construction was often associated with house building development. Cardy House for example was built in 1871 on an elevated position, accessed from the west side, via a small slope (pictured above and below). Having a surface made of cobblestones enabled horses to get a better grip than they would on dirt. Cobbles set into sand also have the advantage of allowing water to drain and to shift slightly with subtle ground movements. This example at Cardy Crossing (also known as Braehead or East End Cottages) actually comprises whin setts (even blocks of dressed stones) in the middle and 'split whin horonising' to the side. The latter are irregular slivers of offcut material. 
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The 1885 photograph above shows the old muddy dirt roads of Main Street, which were subject to rutting and puddles. Although it wasn't practical to surface all roads, some small sections were cobbled by those that could afford it. For example, circa 1880 a broad area of the roadside was surfaced in front of the Crusoe Buildings (see below) and its neighbouring houses to the east. Not only was this to become a prestigious spot due to the Robinson Crusoe Statue being sited there but the cobblestones provided a practical space for outdoor work - such as the preparation of fishing nets. The material below is another example of split whin horonising.
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Some of the other examples around the village (see below) are true 'cobbles', i.e. naturally occurring more rounded stones. The word cobble derives from the word cob which means a rounded lump.

During the second half of the 19th century, cobbles were widely phased out in favour of less expensive concrete and tarmacadam. Often cobbles were covered over with these new materials. However, most Largo examples have stood the test of time, providing character to the streetscape and the occasional low-key artistic flourish, such as the one below. There are even a few modern takes on cobblestones around the village, including around the Temple Car Park.