The crowded beach scene above is Lundin Links at Massney Braes. Back in the very early 1900s the village was a fashionable "rival to the established and flourishing watering holes of Elie and St Andrews". According to the Dundee Courier (25 June 1903) "the attractions of the neighbourhood continue to draw large numbers each year so that a little town of seaside villas has sprung up on the magnificent feuing ground of Lundin". 

The attire worn by the beach-goers is similar to that worn in photos from a previous blog post at Seaview in Lower Largo - note the wide brimmed hats that children are wearing, the blouse and skirt combination favoured by the ladies and the popularity of smart hats and parasols. Although bigger and fancier hats would be worn in the evenings and for special occasions, the lady in the foreground with her back to the camera (see foot of post) is still wearing a pretty impressive piece of headgear for a day at the beach. 

There are a few beach huts in the dunes to the right of the image. While some folks might have stored their belongings in their own hut, many seem to be at the beach with minimal 'stuff' - no chairs, rugs or picnics. Most were probably staying a stone's throw away at one of the many boarding houses or hotels. There would also have been a good choice of tearooms and places to find refreshment within a few minutes walk. 

In the detailed image below, a row of little sand castles can be made out. There are a couple of people half buried in the sand towards the lower left hand corner. And a group of ladies are enjoying a chat in the centre foreground - I wonder what they were discussing!

A previous post has shown an ice-cream van awaiting customers at Massney Braes by the beach at Lundin Links. The above image appears to show the same van but from a different angle on a different day. Probably dating to the early 1930s, there is plenty going on in the picture, so a couple of zoomed in images are shown below. The first image below shows the ice-cream van in more detail on the right. While on the left is a kind of stage - perhaps used by occasional performers (note also the lady reading a newspaper on the sand below this).  Also clearly visible is the old road bridge over the railway line, which was removed in 1970.

The second detailed image at the foot of this post, shows the former joiner's workshop in the upper right (originally the saltworks panhouse). Also visible are the old public toilets (long since demolished) - the white square building with castellated roof just left of centre in front of the trees. All in all there was more in the way of amenity and activity in this spot back then and during this era a bathing pool was very nearly built at the site too.

The circa 1950s view across Lundin Links beach towards Leven, Methil and Buckhaven shows the contrast between the people in the foreground enjoying themselves relaxing in the sun, buying ice-cream and paddling in the sea and the heavy industry taking place in the background. Below are some magnified views of the beach-goers at Massney Braes.

The detail below shows the chimneys and industrial buildings to the west of Largo Bay - among them the Wellesley Colliery (see foot of post). The Wellesley operated from the mid-1880s until 1967. Methil Power Station became a prominent feature from the mid-1960s until 2011. Now wind turbines dot the horizon in this direction.

Posted in 1936, the sender of this postcard was unable to take to the water like the subjects of the image.  She writes in late August of that year...

"Having a good holiday but very quiet. Have played some golf and tennis but no bathing. The weather has been very good but today looks a bit broken at the moment."

Having a round or two of golf and doing a spot of sea-bathing were often the prime objectives of postcards writers holidaying in Lundin Links around that time. There are around 80 people enjoying the beach area on the day shown above!  The Victoria Boarding House is visible left of centre in the background with the iron bridge over the railway line in front of it.  The house to the right of centre is Norvil.  The detail below shows a wooden shelter and an ice-cream van (similar to the one shown at the foot of this post) on the Massney Braes, as well as many people walking the footpath that ran parallel to the railway line.

The above postcard was posted in 1937 and was produced for 'Young, Stationer and Newsagent, Lundin Links'. It shows all ages out enjoying the seaside before the outbreak of World War Two and before the building of the coastal defences.  The shelter and the platform, seen to the right of centre, are evidence of the popularity of this spot and the willingness to invest in facilities for visitors and to put on events.  I imagine the Largo and District Silver Band playing here and excursion groups setting up base here for their day by the sea. Known as Massney Braes locally, this area has been popular over many decades, with pathways and latterly play park facilities. 

Above are couple of views across Massney Braes looking east - images separated in time by about 60 years.  The top postcard dates to around 1905 and shows a rugged coastal area where the natural features provided the fun.  Below that is a modern view of a more managed area, complete with shelter, swings and access for vehicles.  The braes had been planted with marram grass by the time of the second photograph, in order to stabilise the sand and avoid erosion.

This postcard view of Lundin LInks Beach dates to before 1916 (the year it was posted). There's so much going on in this picture - the five boys and their toy boat in the foreground, the beach huts at the edge of the sand being used by the many beach-goers there that day, and the houses in the distance above the Massney Braes.  The Crescent Road houses named Glenairlie (formerly Murree Lodge), Bourtree Brae and Westcliffe/Seacliffe are visible, as are the houses at the junction of Emsdorf Road and Drummochy Road (above the railway bridge), and part of Woodlands Road to the right of that.  The detail below shows just how busy the beach could get a century ago.

The beach at Lundin Links is busy in this c1950 view.  The number of people in the photograph and the variety in the scenery make it well worth zooming in on some of the detail.  Firstly, below are two close-ups on the main groups of beach-goers. Toy boats and buckets and spades provide the entertainment for the children.  Rocks provide some shelter for the adults. The swings up on Massney Braes are being well-used too.

The first image below shows a joiner's workshop on the left behind the sea wall.  This was originally the pan house for the salts works at Drummochy and was demolished in 1967. On the right is Drum Park.

At the foot of the post is some detail of the pier at Lower Largo, with quite a few people walking on it.  In the distance are the houses of The Temple and a suggestion of steam rising from a passing train....or perhaps just a scratch on the photograph?

This busy beach scene at Lundin Links, looking towards Drummochy, dates from the 1920s. These people are determined to be by the sea in spite of cool weather - plenty of coats, hats and jumpers are in evidence!  Popular activities seem to be sandcastle building and digging deep holes. The group of four children in the foreground are enjoying being captured on camera and have some very sturdy looking spades with them. There are some four-legged friends around too. The railway line, that perhaps brought many of these people to Lundin Links, is noticeable in the top left corner, as is the bridge that took the road over the line. This area of the beach has much more vegetation these days.

In the previous post, the discovery of an ancient burial site at Lundin Links beach in 1965 was described.  This particular discovery was one of several that had been documented over the years.  For example, in 1874 the Courier of 19 June stated that:

"A number of workmen in trenching a piece of waste land to the north of Largo, have turned up human remains. The bones, with skull pointing to the north, mouldered down on exposure to the air.  They were encased within a rudely-formed cist of flat stones loosely placed together, and the body seemed to have been interred in a sitting posture.  From time to time several similar discoveries have been made in and about the same part of the country."

The "similar discoveries" mentioned included various finds made during the construction of the railway in the 1850s, including 15 cists.  The advantage of the 1965 excavations was, of course, that scientific progress allowed very detailed analysis of the findings. Plus, the careful cataloguing and storage of the finds made then have allowed subsequent tests to be run on them more recently, as techniques have continued to advance.

In brief, the 1965 dig found part of a cemetery which contained both square and round cairns (six in total), five long cists and two more complex burial structures.  A 'cairn' is defined as a mound of stones built as a memorial or landmark, while a 'cist' is an ancient coffin or burial chamber. It was concluded that this burial ground had been in use for a period of more than a century. Radiocarbon dating techniques suggested usage between approximately AD 450 and AD 650 (more recent than initially thought). The two complex burial structures were referred to as the 'Dumb-bell Complex' and the 'Horned Cairn Complex'.  These structures each contained multiple cists and had clearly been built with great care.  A mix of male and female skeletons were found - 22 in all and these were thought to range in age from 18 years old to between 35 and 45. 

A very full and detailed paper of the findings of the 1965 dig can be viewed at:

http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-352-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_130/130_585_636.pdf

...this paper contains several photographs and illustrations of the site.  I find it very hard to imagine what life might have been like for the people who populated this area at that time but clearly this particular site was important to them.  The sheltered bay, the bounty of the sea, nearby fresh water supplies and terrain which is easily travelled over were, and still are, factors which make this area a good place to be.