The Belmont Temperance Hotel, pictured in the centre of the image above, once stood adjacent to Largo railway station. The snippet above from the 8 August 1890 East of Fife Record, details the circumstances that would eventually lead to the building of the hotel. The piece highlighted the "enormous" demand for accommodation in Largo but also pointed out the lack of options for those looking for only a short stay. While a couple of hotels existed, these had a small number of rooms, plus, these were "licensed premises" and many visitors at the time would have objected to that. 

The temperance movement, which encouraged abstinence from alcohol, had been established for decades. The local lodge of the Independent Order of Good Templars - the Robinson Crusoe Lodge - had been established in 1872 and was still very active in 1890. Lundin Mill had once had its own small Temperance Hotel. Against this backdrop, a proposal was made to build a new temperance hotel. Specifically, it was to be close to the beach at Lower Largo. By the summer of 1890 it was thought that a suitable site at Drummochy had been identified. However, that particular plan did not come to fruition and teetotal visitors had to wait a little longer.

There was no record of a temperance hotel in the census of 1891 but by July 1893, the local papers were listing summer visitors staying at the Belmont Temperance Hotel. Around 1892, a site for the hotel had been selected on an elevated position between Largo Station and the north side of Main Street. The 1895 valuation roll shows that Andrew Masterton, joiner, was the property owner, suggesting that he was responsible for its construction. The tenant hotelkeeper in 1894 was Miss Mary Carswell. 

​

The 1 April 1903 Scotsman newspaper ran the small advert above stating that the hotel was "under new management". A W Urquhart was named as proprietor. However, by 1906, it was all change once again when there was another auction of furniture from the hotel (see notice below from 26 April 1906 Leven Advertiser).

Finally, a period of stability began when Miss Margaret Pippet Sawyer and Miss Mary Elizabeth Sawyer took over the Belmont in 1906. The sisters were born in the English coastal town of South Shields and were daughters of a mariner turned hotelier. Before coming to Largo they had lived in both Leith and North Berwick (where the family had run a temperance hotel). The article above detailed one of their early bookings at the Belmont - a tea party for a temperance group (30 June 1906 Fife Free Press). The advert below dates to their era. At the time that the 1911 census was taken, a 29-year-old Margaret Sawyer (also known as Marguerite) was the only resident at the Belmont Hotel. She and her sister later moved to Elie, where they ran various holiday accommodation over the years, both eventually marrying.

The 1920 valuation roll had Mrs J MacDougall and Miss J MacDougall as tenants with Catherine Clayton still the property owner. The 1921 census tells us that this was Jessie MacDougall and her daughter Jessie Mary. Also present for the census were four visitors and a servant (house and table maid). In December 1921 the wedding reception of the only daughter of the minister of Largo Baptist Church, Rev. Pulford, took place at the hotel. The hotel was advertised for sale in both 1920 and in 1922 (but apparently never sold as Catherine Clayton was still listed as owner in 1925). 

By summer of 1923 the hotel was under new management with Hugh and Janet McLean taking over the reins. During their time in charge, the Scottish colourist George Leslie Hunter was a guest on more than one occasion. Hunter's choice of a Temperance hotel is significant as his friend, art dealer and biographer, Dr Tom J Honeyman was a big supporter of the Temperance Movement. It's fascinating to imagine such a well-known artist producing familiar artworks featuring local scenes from this base - his hotel room full of his art materials, rough sketches and works in progress. 

​The story of the Belmont came to an abrupt end in the early hours of Friday 22 January 1926, when the hotel was gutted by fire. Only Hugh and Janet McLean and their child were occupying the hotel at the time. The "magnitude of the blaze attracted many spectators" in what was a unique spectacle for Largo. Later the same day the report below appeared in the Dundee Evening Telegraph.
​

The side by side maps below show the hotel in 1912 when still standing (left) and the equivalent site in the 1960s (right) when the empty outline of the shell of the building was still marked on maps. The hotel building outline with its sea-facing bay windows is in the centre of the map extracts (below the F.B. which marks the foot bridge over the railway line). Further below are images of some traces of the old hotel which remain on the foot path up to the car park at the old station. A modern private dwelling, aptly named Belmont House, now occupies the plot of the former hotel.
​

The previous post introduced Andrew S. Cunningham, journalist and writer. His publication covering the Parishes of Largo and Newburn, is entitled Upper Largo, Lower Largo, Lundin Links and Newburn. As the preface below explains, the inspiration for the book was the Robinson Crusoe statue on Lower Largo's Main Street. In Andrew's own words:

"Gazing one day on the statue of Robinson Crusoe in the main street of Lower Largo, a thought struck me that I might write the "True Story" of Defoe's hero. When I had completed my short story, a suggestion came to the effect that I might compile a book bearing on the whole Parish of Largo, and the Parish adjoining, Newburn. I have acted on the suggestion."

Also in the preface (written in March 1907 in Leven) Andrew thanks a number of people. Firstly, Sir John and Lady Gilmour, the proprietors of the Lundin Estate, to whom the book is dedicated. They provided information and illustrations, including photographs taken by Lady Gilmour and the artwork below of Largo Pier by Dr Charles Blatherwick (which depicts the scene without the railway viaduct). Thanks are also made to local photographers John Patrick, Andrew Hogg and Peter Cowie (the latter two also being local chemists). Robert Paxton is also acknowledged for his contribution of photographs. Finally, the Misses Sawyer of Belmont Hotel are mentioned (more to follow on them in a future blog).
​

The contents of the book and many and varied, covering local people, places and practices. For the time, it is richly illustrated. One of the most intriguing photographs is the one below of Largo Harbour from Drummochy. The large vessel is a two masted, square rigged brigantine. The image probably dates to the winter of 1901-02, after the alterations to the Crusoe Hotel during which the dormer windows were added, but before the hotel was given a fresh coat of paint. 

The book also features many interesting adverts for local businesses across the Largo villages and Leven, such as those above. Of course, an advert for Purves and Cunningham and the Leven Advertiser and Wemyss Gazette also featured. This advert, below, highlights that the newspaper publishes a list of summer visitors during the months of June, July and August. Mention is also made of the fact that the paper often includes historical notes, reflecting Andrew's personal interest.
​

I wonder how many of the businesses and societies across Lower Largo, Lundin Links and Upper Largo made use of Purves and Cunningham's 'Jobbing Department' for their printing needs (letter heads, posters, tickets, etc) or which products they stocked for their customers (cards, invitations, boxes). No doubt shop keepers, hoteliers, golf clubs, society officials, etc. all knew Andrew Cunningham back in the early 1900s.

Author and journalist, Andrew S. Cunningham penned a number of books in his lifetime, many relating to Fife and a couple specifically covering the Largo area. His work continues to provide valuable reference material for local historians. Andrew (portrait above from Edinburgh Evening News of 29 December 1903) was born on 31 January 1855 at Crossgates in Fife and baptised in Dalgety on 12th February. His parents were miner John Sangster Cunningham and Catherine Storrar, a native of East Wemyss.

Andrew left school at the age of eleven and the census of 1871 finds him as a sixteen-year-old working as a coal miner, while living with his parents and siblings at Netherbeath, near Crossgates. His father and two older brothers were also coal miners. However, Andrew had ambitions beyond that occupation. He taught himself shorthand in order to secure alternative employment, and eventually became a clerk with William Clark and Son (printer, stationer and publisher of the Dunfermline Journal). By 1882 he had become the editor of the Dunfermline Journal - a position that he held until 1903. 

During his tenure as editor of the Dunfermline Journal, Andrew had an important side project. In 1889 he took the first steps towards founding a Mining School in Fife. He had a long-standing conviction that young miners should have access to special technical classes in mining and applied mechanics. Several such centres had opened in the west of Scotland and Andrew wanted a facility for Fife. Andrew convened a meeting in November 1889 and there gained the support of officials to begin the some lectures in Dunfermline that winter, with further classes planned for the following winter. The school was transferred to Cowdenbeath a few years later and remained in operation there for decades (moving to a purpose built facility in 1935). Andrew acted as Secretary and Treasurer of the Fife Mining School for several years. The school operated with minimal resources until it was taken over by Fife County Council. 
​

On 22 September 1891, a 36-year-old Andrew married Kate Pringle, who was Assistant Postmistress at Inverkeithing. Her late father had been a Postmaster. Their marriage took place at Veitch's Hotel on George Street, Edinburgh. The sketch above of Andrew, dates to the year after their marriage and appeared in the 2 December 1892 Dundee Advertiser. The couple lived at Park Avenue in Dunfermline and the 1901 census finds them still there with their 6-year-old son, Harold, and a domestic servant. Andrew's occupation was listed as 'journalist'.

Before his retirement from the position of editor of the Dunfermline Journal in 1903, due to a serious breakdown in health, Andrew had become proprietor of the business of William Clark and Son. During his spell of ill health, Andrew rented a house named Gowanlea in Leven, close to the golf links. During this spell of recuperation, he dispensed with his Dunfermline interests and his home there. During his time in Leven he eventually joined John Purves in the publishing business, which became known as Purves and Cunningham. Andrew also went on to edit the Leven Advertiser and Wemyss Gazette for seven years. 

It was during this time that Andrew became a prolific writer of books on various topics of local interest. His books on various towns and villages around Fife included Upper Largo, Lower Largo, Lundin Links and Newburn in 1907 and Golf Clubs Round Largo Bay in 1909. These followed his earlier work Rambles in the Parishes of Scoonie and Wemyss which is available to read online in full here. 

Among his other works were Randolph Wemyss: An Appreciation, Romantic Culross, The Parish of Kennoway, Mining in the Kingdom, The Parish of Markinch and A History of the Fife Coal Company. 
​

The series of images above illustrates the changes in village life around the viaduct over the Keil Burn at Lower Largo. This view, looking north from the gap between the Crusoe Hotel and the start of Main Street (see map below) has inspired both painters and photographers. This perspective offers layers of interest - from the Railway Inn in the foreground, through the viaduct, to the changing buildings beyond. The earliest image at the top was taken during the 1885 celebrations to mark the unveiling of the Crusoe statue and features the oil and cake mill framed behind the arches.
​

The artworks by George Leslie Hunter represent just two of the many pieces he produced over the years that he frequented Largo in the 1920s. Local subject matter that Hunter captured included the pier and harbour, the pier pavilion, the beach, Drum Lodge, Dunkirk, the mill, street scenes and the viaduct. People he knew and places where he stayed also featured amongst his work, such as the Woman in the Hat and Beach House.

A few decades after Hunter, Tom Gourdie captured many views of the changing landscape in Fife. During the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, he set out to record streets and buildings due for demolition in a time of rapid architectural change. His subject matter included old houses, boat building yards, harbours, collieries, gasworks, mills and churches and covered places across Fife including Kirkcaldy (where he had his studio), Dysart, Leslie, Aberdour, Burntisland, West Wemyss, Kelty, Lochgelly, St Monans, Pittenweem, Anstruther and Lower Largo. By the time an exhibition of his work took place in Kirkcaldy Galleries in 1967, 30 of the 50 featured scenes had already been lost, with others earmarked for demolition (according to the 16 February 1967 Scotsman).

Gourdie developed an interest in industrial architecture early in life, after spending a year in the Fife Coal Company’s architect’s office as a teenager. His Largo piece above exemplifies this interest, with the gasometer and part of the gas retort house prominently framed by one of the viaduct's arches. Unusually for Gourdie's paintings, there are quite a few people featured in the painting. Their presence adds to the sense of this being a working harbour area. Perhaps Gourdie anticipated that this would not always be the case. Of course, the steam train crossing the viaduct represents another part of life now lost to history.

The 'Milk Walk' or 'Milk Path' (or sometimes Milk Road or Milk Run) links Upper Largo to Buckthorns Farm. Already a clearly marked "Foot Path" on the 1850s map below, the path begins at the gate pictured above at the east corner of South Feus and runs east to Buckthorns Farm. Historically, the farm kept dairy cows and so was an important local source of milk. The section of path shown below links (through the Buckthorns farmyard) with the onward path south to the coast, where it then connects to the Fife Coastal Path (along the former railway line).

Still clearly marked on more recent maps, like the one below, the path follows the stone wall which marks the boundary of the properties to the south east of the village. The other side of the path is bounded by a fenced field, often used for arable crops. Open views south across the fields to Largo Bay can be enjoyed. 

The above snippet from the 1 July 1916 St Andrews Citizen relates to a World War One military service tribunal, where applications for exemption from conscription were heard. In this case, it was the dairyman at Buckthorns whose case was heard. From this case we gain an insight into the dairy operation at the farm at this time. There were 18 cows, attended to by David Blyth, from 4:30 each morning till 6pm. The milk was sold from house to house in Lundin Links and Largo. John Bisset was the tenant farmer at Buckthorns at that time. Moving forward to 1928, the piece below from 17 November Leven Advertiser advertises John Bisset's "displenishing sale" at Buckthorns where, among other things, 31 milk cows, were available. 
​

Scotland has thousands of heritage paths, which were used for a variety of purposes (trading, funeral processions, postal delivery, pilgrimage or military for example (read more here). As an important part of our rural heritage, foot paths like the Milk Walk should be walked regularly and the history recorded, in order to prevent them being lost. In 1971, the Largo Field Studies Society published a booklet named "Suggested Walks for the Visitor to Largo District", giving notes and directions on interesting local walks on country paths. If you have a copy of this booklet, please get in touch. It would be helpful to revisit this information and bring it up to date. The Milk Walk has been included in the Fife Core Paths interactive map.

The drone photograph below shows the Milk Path running diagonally through the centre, between the harvested field and the partially tree-lined former 'Grove' bleaching green. According to the Largo Village Book of 1932 by Leonora Rintoul, the Grove had a well which was "much used for watering the linen which was bleached there". Once the need for a bleaching green ceased, it was only a matter of time until the ground was developed. Evelyn Baxter built her home, named The Grove, there in 1914 and her lifelong friend and fellow ornithologist Leonora Rintoul built adjoining property Balsusney there in the 1930s. Since then a number of other dwellings have followed in this tranquil corner of Upper Largo. 
​

Henry and Maggie settled at 27 Dudley Avenue, Leith, and started a family. The Largo connection resumed, with the family becoming annual summer visitors, always renting a house at the Temple. In 1901 for example they were listed in the press as summer visitors, residing at Park Cottage, Temple. In both 1902 and 1904 they were listed as summer visitors at Mount Cottage Temple (see 14 July 1904 Leven Advertiser above). Being a musical family, they actively participated in the annual concert organised by the summer visitors to Largo to raise funds for local causes.

A growing affection for Largo eventually led to Henry Alexander buying ground (marked on the above map) at the Temple from David Barker in 1907. There he built Gayfield (named after the Square where he spent the later years of his childhood) adjacent to Springbank. Soon after completion of the house, in 1911, there was a gable wall dispute with Springbank, which had formerly owned by James Ballingall (see piece below from 1 March 1911 Leven Advertiser). As the photograph further below shows, Gayfield abuts its neighbour to the east. 
​

The 1911 census described Henry as a "commercial traveller (biscuits)", meaning that he was acting as a sales representative for a biscuit manufacturer, arranging sales to retailers. It could well have been either Crawford's or McVitie and Price that he worked for. Although Henry was still living and working in Edinburgh at this time, the family regularly spent time at Largo, especially in the summer months.

The First World War broke out in 1914 and in July 1915, aged 46, Henry enlisted. He was demobilised in April 1920. Following almost 5 years military service Henry decided to make a permanent move to Lower Largo. The opportunity arose in 1921 when, following the death of grocer John Nicoll, the grocer shop at what is now Appleton House on Lower Largo's Main Street (pictured below) became available. 
​

William Thomson Dawson was born in Buckhaven in 1876 to shoemaker John Dawson and Elizabeth Thomson. The family lived at Harbour Head. By the age of 14, William was employed as a clerk. A decade later in 1901, the census still described his occupation as 'clerk'. A keen sportsman, he was considered one of the finest footballers in the district. William was also active in the local lodge of the Independent Order of Good Templars (I.O.G.T.). The newspaper piece below from 23 October 1902 Leven Advertiser tells of an I.OG.T. social which was attended by both William and his future wife, Grace Williamson of Largo. Both William and Grace were musically talented and likely became acquainted through this shared interest. On Christmas Day 1903, William was married to Grace, the third daughter of Drummochy plasterer Alexander Williamson, in Edinburgh by Reverend James Robert Burt of Largo Parish Church.
​

At the time of the 1911 census, taken in April, William was recorded as living in Balmoral Cottage, Buckhaven with his wife and two children, six-year-old John and one-year-old Grace. William's occupation was 'Tramway Accountant', for the Wemyss and District Tramways (a scheme initiated in 1906 by Randolph Wemyss extending from Leven to Kirkcaldy). Later the same year, on 7 October 1911, Dawson was promoted to the position of General Manager, following the retiral of his predecessor. Under his management, the company both flourished and weathered various storms. He would remain General Manager for the remainder of the existence of the tramway.

While residing in Buckhaven, William was instrumental in the establishment of the local Boy Scouts' movement, eventually becoming secretary of the District Scout Association. He was also a founder of the Buckhaven Musical Association, which evolved into the East Fife Musical Association. He was well-known as a vocalist and was also treasurer and secretary of Leven Dramatic Society. He was session clerk of Buckhaven Parish Church for a time. By 1921, William, Grace and their three children (the youngest being Betty) were living at Stein Cottage, in Drummochy. This was next door to Coventry Cottage where Grace's parents and several of her siblings resided.
​

Inevitably, local transport evolved and the trams were increasingly challenged by omnibuses. The Wemyss and District Tramways Company invested in some bus stock of its own (and a few charabancs). One model was the Tilling-Stevens bus pictured above, navigating the bridge over the Keil Burn, with Drummochy in the background, including Stein Cottage. During the 1920s the Dawson family moved to Leven, living in 'Lyndhurst' on Links Road. In November 1927, William was elected to Leven Town Council. By then he was aged fifty and a keen golfer and bowler. The previous year he had been elected vice-president of the Scottish Tramways Managers' Association and subsequently became its president.
​

At the end of 1928, William and Grace celebrated their silver wedding anniversary. The occasion was marked at the annual dinner and dance held by the staff of the Wemyss and District Tramways Company in Leven's Caledonian Hotel. Mr Dawson presided over a gathering of around 190 people. After talking about how there was a greater need for co-ordination between buses and trams in order to ensure efficient public service, Mr Dawson and his wife were presented with a silver tea and coffee service. Below is an extract from Mr Dawson's speech, as published in 22 December 1928 Leven Advertiser. In this he joked about how he and Grace decided to get married to save in shoe leather, due to all the walking he did between Buckhaven and Largo during their courting days.
​

​William was also the General Manger of the Caley Motor Engineering Company during the late 1920s (see advert above from 19 November 1927 Leven Advertiser). By 1930, the Dawson family had moved to Upper Largo, to the house shown below, which they named 'Lyndhurst', after their former Leven home. This house on the St Andrews Road had originally been the manse of the United Free Church in Upper Largo (the congregation of which dissolved in 1924). Now a listed building, the listing for Lyndhurst states:

Circa 1850. 2 storeys, a symmetrical. Stugged coursers with polished chamfered margins and quoins. Whin rubble flanks and rear. Shallow advanced gabled bay to right. All windows bipartite with 8 or 10-pane glazing; raised panel over centre 1st floor window, steeply pointed gablet to left window. Coped skews, end stacks, slate roof; rear wing. Modern lean-to conservatory.

​On 3 January 1931 the Dawsons held a party at Lyndhurst for forty children of the employees of the tramway, who were conveyed to Upper Largo by bus. After a "sumptuous tea" there was "an impromptu programme of songs, dances and games". Many of the children gave "delightful songs and recitations". Each was given a gift before being returned to their homes (6 Jan 1931 Leven Advertiser). On 30 January 1932, the Wemyss tramway system ceased running and was replaced by a service of buses run by W. Alexander and Sons. William Dawson had been General Manager for 21 years and four other employees had been with the tramway since its beginning in 1906. William continued to live at Lyndhurst, working for Fife Electric Power Company for a time, becoming a Justice of the Peace and acting as a director of East Fife Football Club.
​

William Dawson died in Edinburgh on 7 June 1943 and his wife Grace died on 13 August 1944 at the Leven home of her daughter Grace. Both William and Grace were buried at Upper Largo cemetery where the gravestone proudly tells of William's management of the Wemyss and District Tramways.
​

The busy beach scene above has all the hallmarks of an "excursion party". In other words, it looks like a party of day-trippers, enjoying a much-anticipated visit to the beach. The location is the beach at Massney Braes, looking towards Largo Pier. Note the boat masts close to the pier in the background and the salmon stake nets in the sea to the far right. Dressed in their finery, this would have been an important social occasion and a special treat for the group. Their attire may look rather out of place to the modern-day eye, however, it was normal then for ladies to take to the sands in full length skirts and flamboyant hats, while the gents wore three-piece suits with ties. Children were a little less formal. Most boys appear to have on short trousers - perfect for paddling or being buried in sand. The party of at least fifty people included all ages. Close inspection shows a few donkeys are on the beach, giving the youngsters rides along the sand (see detail below). 
​

Probably the group would have arrived by train at Lundin Links station and made their way over the iron bridge to the beach at Massney Braes, bringing a picnic with them. This could potentially be a church outing, or perhaps a society of some kind. The example below, mentioned in the 14 June 1906 Leven Advertiser, is of an excursion to Lundin Links by the Markinch Parish Church Sabbath School. Like the group in the photograph, they enjoyed games and races on the sands. In their case a 'special train' was laid on for the occasion, suggesting a sizeable group similar to the one shown. On occasion, a band would accompany these groups on their outing, to provide musical entertainment throughout the day.

Not all visiting groups arrived by train however. The 26 July 1907 East of Fife Record piece below describes how a picnic party a hundred strong from Colinsburgh United Free Church travelled to the seaside at Lundin Links in carts, in "delightful weather". Not all such trips were blessed with favourable weather conditions. Sometimes groups had to retreat into a suitable indoor venue at short notice. However, both the group in the image above, and a similar group shown in a different image below (at the same location but looking west), were fortunate.

On Wednesday 9 October 1968, a play was shown on BBC Television called The Lower Largo Sequence. The photograph above from 'Scotland on Air' shows the principal actors, Isobel Black and Patrick Allen, standing on Largo Pier with the Keil Burn and the houses of Drummochy in the background on a misty day. The play was described as "the wry story of the love between an ageing man played by Patrick Allen and a young girl Isobel Black. The man is tormented by the age gap, a torment which leads to turmoil in the relationship" The Stage (26 September 1968) . The fuller synopsis was as follows:

"The verse continues but the rumour finds its confirmation on the stones of Lower Largo on the east coast of Scotland, where the statue of Alexander Selkirk looks out over his birthplace. Defoe was there first to fictionalise him in Robinson Crusoe; the original sailor has been dead for more than two-and-a-half centuries, but the Crusoe-syndrome remains.
In The Lower Largo Sequence the central character is The Man, the island seeker. Which island? Any island. The island he has created within himself and which The Girl invades."

The script was written by Eddie Boyd. He had made an earlier visit to Lower Largo to do some writing, which resulted in a series of poems, which he named The Lower Largo Sequence. Some months later, he went back to work on them further and the result was a script. This was subsequently filmed and soon afterwards was screened on the BBC as a 'Wednesday Play'. Filming took place on location in Lower Largo in May 1968. If you recall the TV cameras rolling into the village for filming, please comment. The key cast members were:

• The Commercial Gent: Callum Mill
• Railway Official: David Kinnaird
• The Man: Patrick Allen
• The Girl: Isobel Black
• Conductress: Nancy Mitchell
• Landlord: Harry Walker
• The Lover: Michael Harrigan
• Traffic Warden: Ken Henderson​

The headline above appeared in the East Fife Mail the week after the play was screened (16 October 1968). Villagers were allegedly "up in arms" over how village life was portrayed. In addition to this article, the same paper published three letters of complaint about the show in its 'mailbag' feature. Remarks included that the play was "sleazy" and "a confused, distasteful and vulgar bit of third-rate drama" whose key ingredients were "drink, sex and violence". It was felt that it could have been set anywhere but had been "foisted upon" Lower Largo due to an obscure link to Alexander Selkirk and the quest for solitude.

As the presence of film crews and well-known actors in the village had caused so much interest, many families had allowed their children to stay up late to watch the play. Once the nature of the subject matter became clear, some took exception. A petition was promptly started to protest to the BBC. Soon eighty residents had signed it. In addition, the St Andrews District Council were called upon to act and they subsequently wrote a letter of complaint to the BBC. A later reply to them stated that the play had been praised by critics and that the sequences filmed in Lower Largo showed the village as it was. At least one resident agreed with the BBC, stating that "the locale was well-illustrated and the camera work was outstanding. The shots were well composed, particularly the night scenes".

Below is the full TV schedule for the day that the play was screened. The Lower Largo Sequence was shown between a party political broadcast and the Horse of the Year Show. It would be interesting to re-watch the play today but it seems that it is no longer part of the BBC's archive.

The pair of images above show Emsdorf Road in Lundin Links, looking towards the former grocer shop at the start of Hillhead Street. The top image dates to the early 1900s, while the colour photograph is recent. In over a century, the buildings have not altered much but several details have changed. The road surface has been modernised, bus stops have been introduced and the gardens have matured. The houses of "Emsdorf Place" as it was known (on the right) look newly-built in the older picture, with the plants yet to start growing in their gardens. 
​

However, the most significant change is the loss of the old stone wall that once surrounded the old bleaching green (shown centrally in the image detail above). Known locally as Pump Green, this was once the hub of the village of Lundin Mill. This was where the communal water pump was situated that villagers would use on a daily basis. It was where linens and clothing were set out to dry. The green must surely have been connected with the linen hand loom weaving industry originally. When the village of Emsdorf was built around 1800, comprising mainly weavers' cottages, this facility would likely have been constructed as part of the development.

The best account of Pump Green was recorded in 1974 by Esther Menzies (nee Hunter), who was born in Rose Villa, Woodlands Road, in 1895. At the time that the new Lundin Mill Primary School was built, she shared her early memories, aiming to highlight how much life in the village had changed over the years. She was born just before the rapid expansion of Lundin Mill into Lundin Links. In her words, Pump Green was... 

"surrounded by a high stone wall following the line of the posts and chain there at present but protruding in an arc for several yards at the south end.  There was a gap of about four yards with an iron pump with a turning knob right opposite Laurel Bank. The washing was laid out to bleach in the curved end and we did not play on the green if the washing was there.  At other times it was a playground.  The grass patch beyond was near oblong.  It was crossed by paths - one leading round by the curved wall to Emsdorf Place Houses, another at the east edge in front of their doors and another from Woodlands Road cutting through to meet the one passing alongside the Pump Green wall and leading up to the Hillhead."

Pump Green was one of several local bleaching greens where linens were laid out to be dried and whitened by sunlight. I wonder whether the white smocks worn by the youngsters in the photo were dried on the green. The map below dates to the 1850s and shows the green's curved wall, pointing south, with the 'pump' marked at the top end. There are weavers' cottages in all directions - Hillhead Road to the north, Emsdorf Crescent to the east, Hatton Terrace (the old name for the terraced cottages on Emsdorf Road) to the south and Emsdorf Street to the west. 

Painting a further picture of life in Lundin Mill around the turn of the century, Esther Menzies said...

"This little patch brings back memories of a type of life entirely gone. Near the curved wall of the Pump Green the Punch and Judy man set up his show and we children stood or sat on the grass fascinated with the antics of the dog and the puppets. Here the tramps (we called them gangrels) squatted for their meal....Here too the organ grinder would rest with his barrel organ (hurdy-gurdy was the name then) after going round the streets. The men with their knife-sharpening machines rested there."

The green was scythed by Jimmie Brown from Hatton Law and the grass was carted away for his horse.
​

A glimpse of the wall of Pump Green also appears in the photograph above, on the extreme lower left. The image was captured at the entrance to David Lindsay's grocer shop. He was the original proprietor of this shop, which then sold items such as bran, oatmeal, dried cod and salt herring from a barrel and parings. The stone wall was demolished soon after these images were taken, presumably to allow the easier passage of the increasing traffic. The water pump moved to corner of Woodlands Road, as the 1912 map below shows (marked W.T. for water tap). The former Pump Green was left as open space with undefined edges until post-1930s, when it was neatly edged and generally tidied up. The line of "posts and chain" mentioned by Esther Menzies are gone but the area remains a small attractive green space to this day.
​​