Below is Lundin Links Station, looking east down the line that leads to Largo. An advert for 'The Scotsman' can be seen under the large 'Lundin Links' sign. Neither image is dated but I would assume these date to the final few years of the railway era in Largo.
A pair of railway stations shots today. Above is an unusual view of Largo Station. The photographer would have had their back to the viaduct and is looking down the track as it splits. The main track is on the right and the sidings to the left. The passing loop was added to Largo Station in 1894. Houses of Station Park are seen in the distance on the left side of the station buildings. The footbridge over the tracks is a more modern-looking one that that seen in many old station images.
Below is Lundin Links Station, looking east down the line that leads to Largo. An advert for 'The Scotsman' can be seen under the large 'Lundin Links' sign. Neither image is dated but I would assume these date to the final few years of the railway era in Largo.
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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.
By way of a follow-up to the previous post showing a view from Manderlea boarding house, here is a panorama covering the stretch from Lundin Links Station, on the left of centre, along to Manderlea on the right. Below are a couple of 'blown-up' images from the above photograph. The Old Manor Hotel (formerly Aithernie House and then the Beach Hotel) sits on the high ground behind the station. In the image at the foot of the post you can see Elmwood and Ravenswood boarding houses in the centre and the home of David Patrick the golf club maker sitting just behind the golf course further right. Manderlea is further right still, with the pair of curves (in shadow) on its gable end. The road between the station and the houses would have been a well-worn path and the scene of much coming and going of summer visitors.
Manderlea was built as a boarding house in the early years of the twentieth century to meet the demand for accommodation for visitors to Lundin Links. Handily situated between the railway station and the centre of the village, on Links Road, the house also boasted fantastic sea views from its elevated position. Plus, as this photograph illustrates, it was an ideal location for visiting golfers. This picture was captured in 1949 by Mrs Helen Muir, from a window of Manderlea. It shows the railway line running along the foot of the gardens, and, on the other side, the golf club house, car park and golf shop originally belonging to Alex Patrick. Residents staying here would have had plenty to look at out their windows - the sea, the trains, the golfers. Nowadays, the building is divided into flats and is known as 'Manderlea Court' - the view still as lovely but not so good for train spotting any more. Many thanks to Mrs Muir for the glimpse back in time!
This poignant image of Lundin Links Station, after closure, was taken in 1968 by Mrs Helen Muir and was kindly shared by her daughter. Featuring Mrs Muir's husband, this photograph shows the disused station platform becoming overrun with weeds (echoing the photo of Largo Station post-closure in an earlier post). The last passenger train ran in September 1965. Some goods traffic ran for a while after that but even these trains had ceased by the time of this view. The rails would be gone soon after this image was captured and the station building itself was demolished in 1971. I really enjoyed seeing this photograph. It marks a period of transition for the village and I'm sure many people visited the deserted platform to reminisce before it was gone forever.
Moving forward a few years from the previous post, this circa 1960 image seems to have been taken from the upper window of Peacehaven. The house on the left is 'Westhall', the garden next to it (with the circular arrangement) closer to the camera is that of 'Beffens', while the garden in the left foreground belongs to 'The Gables' (unplanted in the previous post's picture).
On the right of the view is the side of Elmwood Boarding House and in front of that the gardens now known as 'Mrs Nisbet's Garden'. A person can be seen in the gardens looking up at the photographer (see image at foot of post). In the distance is Lundin Links Station - see detail below. A delivery van of some sort is parked on the road. If you recall local delivery vans of this era, please comment. The photograph above and to the side were taken early in 1990 and show the viaduct before the fitting of drainpipes. In December 1992 notice was given to the public that it was proposed to "install downpipes" on the listed structure. Other repairs and reconstruction of a wall were to take place at the same time. Presumably the work was carried out in 1993 (if you remember this work being carried out, please comment). The reason for the installation of these pipes would obviously be to improve the drainage arrangements. A similar project on another disused viaduct at a similar date spoke of such structures being at risk of becoming "saturated, and the stonework damaged by frost" and of "leaching out of the mortar". While not particularly attractive, the drainpipes at least help to preserve this great symbol of skill and enterprise. Below are some recent images showing the pipes on the viaduct. This wonderful image of a train filling the expanse of the viaduct at Lower Largo was taken by Helen Muir in April 1957 and was kindly shared by her and her daughter, for visitors to this site to enjoy. At the time that this photo was taken, the viaduct was a century old. Below is a more recent photograph of a similar view. Aside from the obvious difference - no train! - note the changes to the house on the left, with the end dwelling being built up to align with its neighbour. There are also now drain pipes attached to the viaduct....more on that in the next post.
More images of the viaduct in days gone by (or indeed other local scenes) would be very welcome! Back in 1988, preparations were under way to hand over the former railway viaduct at Lower Largo from the British Rail Property Board to the North East Fife District Council. The proposed change in ownership led to discussion around the future use of the structure. Some hoped that the landmark might form part of the official coastal path for walkers. It was recognised, however, that the first step would have to be to clear debris from the top of the viaduct and assess its structural condition. Local councillor Andrew Gilmour suggested that the current owners might be prepared to provide funding equivalent to what it would have cost to demolish the bridge and take away the debris. Other bodies mentioned as potentially supporting such a project were the Scottish Tourist Board, the East Neuk of Fife Preservation Society and the Maritime Heritage Project. The local community council backed the idea but were conscious that safety considerations would have to be fully weighed up. Happily, the grade B listed viaduct, built by the East Fife Railway Company in 1856-7, still stands in all its glory, but the vision of it being turned into a footpath never came about. No doubt in this day and age such a plan would have proved to be a health and safety nightmare (unlike it was a century ago).
This still image of a train crossing the viaduct at Lower Largo is taken from a video posted early last year on this site. The full video from 1959 can be viewed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MDMfqXcpus As we are now marking half a century since the closure of the line through Largo, I thought it was worth revisiting this clip and requesting that anyone out there with their own video footage of trains coming through Largo and Lundin Links, or indeed any moving images of days gone-by in the Largo area, consider converting it to digital format and getting it on-line. Likewise, if you have old photos that you think people would enjoy seeing, please consider getting them scanned and sharing these also. It would be wonderful to build a larger archive of materials relating to Largo and Lundin Links for future generations. If you have any queries about the practicalities of doing this, please get in touch via the 'contact' link. Here are some other great clips of the local railway lines that are available on-line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zXWsV0JUGw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LrZxjdgrIg |
AboutThis blog is about the history of the villages of Lundin Links, Lower Largo and Upper Largo in Fife, Scotland. Comments and contributions from readers are very welcome!
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