On 22 July 1913, bank clerk Thomas Robertson Stewart married Andrewina Williamson at Coventry Cottage, Drummochy, the bride's family home. Andrewina's father was master slater and plasterer, Alexander Williamson. Thomas was son of long-serving head teacher of Lundin Mill Primary School, David Milne Stewart.

The couple set up home at Carnbaan on Leven Road, Lundin Links - the semi-detached villa second from right in the image below. Their daughter Isabella Welch Robertson Stewart was born on 28 April 1914 (3 months before the outbreak of World War One) at Carnbaan. Nine years later, on 17 February 1923, a second daughter was born in the same house - Rena Williamson Robertson Stewart, pictured above. Rena was named after her mother, who went by that name, rather than the formal Andrewina.
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Carnbaan would remain the family home for decades. With the nine-hole Lundin Ladies golf course over the back garden wall, the Montrave Hall next door and the tennis courts and bowling green just a stone's throw away, the house was ideally placed for the Stewart family, who were very active within their community. Thomas Stewart was organist and choirmaster at Largo Parish Church for many years. He, and his father David before him, served a combined 66 years in the role of Session Clerk at Largo Parish Church.

Thomas was also Treasurer and Secretary of Lundin Bowling Club for an extended period of time, having been both a founder member of the club and its first champion. A love of music, dance and Scots heritage was passed on to daughters Isobel and Rena. Local newspaper archives contain many references to musical performances by the family, such as an example where an 11-year-old Rena danced the Highland Fling, as well as other dances, at a school concert in the Montrave Hall, with musical accompaniment from her father. Isobel and Rena attended Lundin Mill Primary School, where the paternal grandfather they had never met had been headmaster for 37 years.

Singing, dancing and playing the piano featured throughout Rena's life. The piece below from 19 February 1941 Leven Mail describes how Thomas, Isobel, Rena and others put on a musical evening at the British Linen Bank House in Leven. Their mother had organised the event which successfully raised sufficient funding to purchase both a stirrup pump (for fire safety) and a first-aid box. Despite going on to live most of her life in England, Rena enthusiastically continued her Scottish Country Dancing - teaching it until the age of ninety!
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As well as having musical ability, Rena excelled academically. The above extract from 22 July 1939 Fife Free Press marks the successful attainment of her leaving certificate from Buckhaven High School. In fact, she also gained the Dux award at secondary school, as she had already done at primary school. Rena went on to study French and German at St Andrews University. The 30 June 1943 Leven Mail described how she was "capped" M.A. at the Younger Hall graduation.
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After graduation, which was of course during the Second World War, Rena, and her friend Agnes Gardner, decided to sign up for war service - joining the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). After undergoing training, Rena arrived at Bletchley Park, early in 1944, where she was put to work processing German messages. So began a period of Rena's life that has only been revealed in detail recently, due to security restrictions and Rena's modest nature. Her language skills later saw her be tasked with translating Hitler's will and eventually joining the BBC World Service (and going on to be its first senior female editor). For those intriguing aspects of Rena's life, far beyond her Lundin Links origins, it is necessary to read the newly-published and richly-illustrated book shown below "The Story of Rena Stewart - Bletchley Park Girl, Translator of Hitler's Will and BBC Pioneer", by Victoria Walsh, published by Pen and Sword.
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Although Rena had a full life down south, she often visited her parents and sister, Isobel Maclennan (nee Stewart) who had studied at Edinburgh University and had gone into teaching prior to marriage (in 1949) and motherhood. Thomas Stewart died in 1962 aged 79 years, and his wife in 1974, aged 88. Both were buried at Largo Cemetery alongside the parents of Thomas and other family members. The family headstone is shown below.
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Rena herself lived to be 100 years old and celebrated her very special birthday surrounded by family and friends. When Rena died on 11 November 2023 (Armistice Day), a truly remarkable life came to a close - a life with its foundations firmly established in Lundin Links and Largo, where both the Stewarts and the Williamsons left a lasting mark. She was laid to rest with her parents at Largo Cemetery.

NOTE:

Author of Rena Stewart's biography, Victoria Walsh, will be giving a talk at Lundin Golf Club on Thursday 10 July. Tickets are £3 from the club bar (cash only), which includes a glass of Prosecco. Doors open at 6.30, and the talk (followed by questions and answers) will start at 7pm, lasting around 45 minutes. Copies of the book will available afterwards. 

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Margaret MacDougall Nicoll was born in Largo in 1882, the second child of Kirkton schoolmaster Thomas Nicoll. and his wife Annie Morgan. The couple had five children - William (1880), Margaret (1882), Robert (1886), Mary (1888) and Annie (1892). Margaret and her siblings attended Kirkton of Largo Primary School, where their father was master for 35 years.

The above school group photograph dates to circa 1900 and features Thomas Nicoll and Mary, younger sister of Margaret. There are also some other Nicolls from another family. This photo appeared in the 25 May 1966 Fife Mail. At the time this photograph was taken Margaret would have moved on to Waid Academy in Anstruther, where she excelled in her studies and qualified for a Queen's Scholarship to study at St Andrews University (see 4 August 1899 East of Fife Record piece below). 

Margaret continued her career and by the 1921 census, she was living alone at Greycot (pictured above) on Upper Largo's Main Street, and was recorded as a 'School Teacher'. Subsequently she lived at Viewfield on South Feus (pictured in the centre of the image below) with her sister Annie (who was also a teacher) and it was there that she passed away on 10 June 1962 aged 79 years. Margaret had a long association with St David's Church in Lower Largo, and had been Treasurer there as well as honorary president of the Women's Guild. Below is the notice of her memorial service held 17 June 1962. Two years later, the recast bell of St David's Church was dedicated to her memory. 

This circa 1965 aerial photograph is a familiar scene albeit with much more open undeveloped space than today. In this blog we will zoom in on a few features of interest and highlight some of the changes over the past six decades. Below is a more detailed view of the viaduct and Largo station with the caravan park and Station Park housing development behind. The first phase of council housing here was 22 homes in the late 1930s. A later phase after the Second World War saw a further fifty houses added. At the time of the aerial photograph, the railway line was reaching the end of its active use but it was prior to the demolition of the station buildings. 

The disused Largo Toll House is also present in the image. In the detailed view below, the Toll House sits alone south of the war memorial cross road, close to a roundel of trees. It is those features that are remembered in the present day street names of Toll Court and The Roundel. The original Toll House was built in the 1840s and demolished in the late 1960s. More on this building to follow in the next post.

Among the other features of note below is the driveway up to Largo House, also known as rhododendron walk. and the garage/service station (the long roadside building on the far right) now known as Mercury Motors. 
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The final zoomed in area below is notable for the vast areas of undeveloped green space at the time. The field above the tree-lined burn is now filled by the houses of Keilburn, while the area below the trees is the site of Lundin Mill Primary School built 1973-74 to replace the Crescent Road school built in the late 1850s.

This space was once known as Puddock Mire - see extract from the 1750 Roy map. Puddock means toad or frog and Mire refers to boggy ground.  A swathe of green space remains today on either side of the Keil Burn. The steps up to Largo Road from the mill can just about be made out, just left of centre above the tree line. Finally, the line of trees in the top right quarter of the image below marks the track leading to the one-time local landfill site, which closed in the 1970s. 
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This aerial view was captured by Aerofilms and Aero Pictorial Ltd. This company was the result of the 1958 merger between Aerofilms Ltd (founded in 1919) and Aero Pictorial Ltd (founded 1934). The extensive archive of historical air photographs was bought by Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), English Heritage (EH), and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW) in 2007. The subsequent Britain from Above project conserved 95,000 of the oldest and most valuable photographs in the collection, those dating from 1919 to 1953. Those images were scanned into digital format and made available on this website.

Janet Hamilton Paxton (known as Jessie) was born in 1895 in San Antonio, Texas, USA. She was the eldest child of rancher Robert Carswell Paxton and his wife Margaret Donald Baird. Robert Paxton was born into an Ayrshire brewery-owning family. While his elder brother George continued the brewery business, Robert emigrated to America in 1878, aged about 25, to become one of the first settlers in Terrell County, Texas.  The area which he settled is now known as the Longfellow Ranch. Robert established a sheep station prior to his marriage to Margaret Donald Baird at the age of 41 on 25 October 1894 in Kilmarnock. On the marriage certificate his occupation is ‘sheep farmer’.  Their first child Jessie was born the following year. Robert eventually diversified into cattle as well as sheep. Terrell County would go on to become one of the USA’s largest sheep and wool producers.

​In July 1899, Robert, Margaret and a 4-year-old Jessie travelled from New York to Glasgow. While Robert's sheep and cattle ranch continued, the family sought a return to Scotland. Two years later in the 1901 census, Jessie and both her parents were recorded at 25 Blacket Place in Edinburgh. This was the rented home of Robert's sister Janet Muir Paxton. Robert Paxton's occupation was given in the census as "Ranchman in Texas". By 1902 the Paxtons had identified Lundin Links as a suitable place to live and were renting Drum Lodge. During the 2-3 years that they family lived there, Jessie's sisters were born - Margaret Baird Paxton on 17 February 1902 and Isabella Carse Paxton on 22 June 1904. The Paxtons then moved to Elphinstone on Crescent Road in 1905 (pictured below) and the family's fourth daughter and youngest child, Emily, was born there in 1907. The following year Homelands came up for sale and it became the permanent family home.

​Robert continued to travel periodically to Texas, while also being involved in local life in Fife. He was Captain of Lundin Golf Club 1908-09 and appears in the photograph above at the opening of the Lundin Ladies new course on 15 April 1910. Jessie is likely the young woman in the centre back row with the wide-brimmed hat, standing between her parents. At the time of the 1911 census both Jessie and her father were absent from Homelands. It's probable that both were in the USA.

Tragically, on 3 April 1912, the Paxtons' youngest daughter Emily died at Homelands, aged 4. That same year Robert sold the Texas ranch. However, this was not the end of the USA connection and in 1914 Jessie travelled to visit the country of her birth aboard the ship Colombia, from Glasgow to New York. Shortly afterwards, the First World War began and the Paxtons swung into action to support aid efforts.  For four and a half years, the Lundin Links Red Cross work party was based at Homelands, with Mrs Paxton as convener. The Paxton family became firmly established in the community of Lundin Links and beyond. The three Miss Paxtons were all involved in amateur dramatics and well as charitable activities. The photograph below from the 9 February 1931 Dundee Courier shows Jessie (front row, extreme right), Isabel (next to Jessie) and Margaret (centre, back row) coming second in the Scottish Community Drama Festival (Kirkcaldy Section) in the Adam Smith Theatre, as part of the Lundin Amateur Dramatic Society team.

It was in the early 1930s that Jessie Paxton found her calling in life. The Leven Advertiser of 15 Feb 1938 refers to how she was first inspired by “a casual visit to a home in London run by former pupils of St Leonards School, St Andrews". Jessie then spent a couple of years training in London, most likely at the Rachel Macmillan Nursery School College in East London. To view a short film of a typical day there around that time - click here.  It was in 1930 that the training centre was given full college status, so Jessie would have been one of the early graduates.

Rachel and Margaret McMillan were sisters and nursery school pioneers. Both born in the USA to Scottish parents, they returned to Scotland as children. As young women they became suffragists and socialists, eventually focussing their attention on the needs of young children and the belief that they needed the opportunity to develop and learn by being healthy, clean and well fed. They ran the first nursery schools in the country, placing great importance upon imaginative play, time outdoors, nourishing food and allocated time for sleep.

​Although Rachel died in 1917, Margaret continued their work, writing several books about nursery education. She gave many speeches about the needs of the poorest children in society and the value of nursery education. By the end of the First World War, Margaret McMillan was considered an expert in nursery education. When she died in 1931, she had established a philosophy of nursery education and nursery schools as open-air institutions that continues to influence practice today. You can read much more about her life here.

Sharing this genuine interest in the welfare of the very young, and now with the necessary training under her belt, Jessie Paxton searched Fife for a suitable premises in which to open her own nursery. The rent-free use of Lindsay's Square Hall and two adjoining houses in Methil (marked on the map below) was granted by Charles Carlow of Fife Coal Company. The buildings were adapted for use as a small nursery school (with a playroom, bathroom and kitchen). Furniture for the nursery was made by three unemployed men (Messrs Deblin, Cargill and Allan) who were members of the Leven Unemployed Social Service Centre at Albion House. They spent several weeks making tiny tables, chairs and stretcher beds which were painted bright blue.

Toys were also made locally, and food donated by generous supporters. Eighteen children aged between three and a half and four years old started on Tuesday 26 November 1935, with younger children starting the Monday after. The above photograph from the 29 November 1935 Courier shows a beaming Jessie with two of the first pupils. The facility was opened without any expenditure from public funds. The initial expense of adapting the building and early running costs came from private subscriptions. Efforts were made to keep costs relatively low and parents of pupils paid just one shilling per week. In the early days, aside from two young nursemaids who received wages, all work was voluntary. Despite all of that, the nursery was viewed with hostility from some parts of the community (and that persisted for many years among those that saw pre-school child welfare as the domain of parents).

​In February 1936 Provost William Smart wrote in the Leven Advertiser about a typical day at the nursery. An extract from this report is below. Being too young to read, each child had their own unique picture to identify their peg and other belongings. They wore light brown overalls, had porridge for breakfast and played singing games afterwards. A nutritious lunch was followed by a spoonful of malt and halibut oil. A toothbrushing drill preceded rest hour, where pupils napped on individual beds with their own blankets (an unpopular part of the day for the older ones).

Toys available included blackboards, string beads, peg boards and wooden blocks - designed to train the hands and eyes. Tea was brown bread with jam and milk drunk out a bottle with a straw. The floor was blue linoleum and the walls painted yellow at the top and brown below. The fire blazed to keep the place warm. Smart described a "happy and joyful picture" with children aged 2 to 5 "eagerly busy". ​Jessie, her nursemaids and a long string of tiny tots became a familiar sight in the streets close to the nursery as they took their daily walk. In those early days, many of the bairns attending came from families struggling with overcrowding, poverty or poor health (or sometimes all three). Gaining a place at the nursery could revolutionise their lives.
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While the nursery thrived, the surrounding houses of Lindsay's Square had been earmarked for demolition. Built to house miners, these were now very old and, with their dirt floors and lack of plumbing, were no longer deemed fit for human habitation. Their demolition began in 1935 and continued into 1936. The disruption of this work, going on adjacent to the nursery, must have been considerable. Initially, it was hoped that the redevelopment of the site would include provision to expand the nursery, allowing more children to attend. By 1937, there were 48 children in the Methil nursery and a waiting list of 60. Miss Paxton spoke of one three-year-old boy that used to stand at the gate every day, tears running down his face, saying "I'm wantin' in. I'm wantin' in". He eventually got in but there were many more like him still waiting.

Around the time that the County Council had purchased the old Lindsay Square housing from the Fife Coal Company, the Council's Education Committee had formally recognised the nursery and begun to provide a grant towards running expenses. So, it seemed hopeful that an additional building for the nursery to expand into might be created within the redeveloped Lindsay Square area. However, the priority of the Buckhaven and Methil Town Council was to build houses. Their suggestion was to wait and assess the available space after the housing had been completed. Jessie, believing that the need for additional space for the nursery was both great and urgent, began negotiations with other potential sites. By November 1938, the waiting list had grown to 115 children.

The nursery now had to deal with the disruption of the construction of the new housing at the site (which would become St Andrew's Square) and as the 1930s drew to a close, the Second World War put an end to all plans to extend or relocate the nursery. Wartime brought fresh challenges, around food supply, staffing shortages and general uncertainty. However, Miss Paxton's nursery continued to operate through that difficult period and emerged ready to revisit expansion plans. Finally, on 5 September 1949 a second nursery opened at Kirkland Drive. The premises were a former National Fire Service hut, purchased from the Freemasons and adapted for its new use. The number of children attending across the two sites rose to almost 100,

The 7 September 1949 Leven Mail covered the opening and included the two photographs below. Reconditioned rocking horses had been brought up from the Lower Methil nursery and other toys had been brought in by well-wishers, including a beautiful miniature horse-drawn carriage. Each child had their own particular favourite plaything. The new nursery started with 13 children but would quickly progress to accommodate 25 to 30. Even with a second building, there were ongoing calls upon the Buckhaven and Methil Council to find a more substantial and permanent premises for the nursery.

When the Kirkland Drive nursery was targeted by vandals in May 1954, Miss Paxton explained that "this was not a very surprising discovery" as "they have been doing this sort of thing since 1936" and that she had lost count of the number of windowpanes that had had to be replaced over the years. On this occasion, vandals had smashed a rocking horse and barrow, strewn the laundry about and broken three windows. The little ones arriving the next morning were puzzled as to why this had happened, and the poignant image above appeared in the 2 June Leven Mail. The little boy is holding the broken handle of the rocking horse.
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Jessie's vision and determination were recognised when she was awarded an MBE in 1956 for her pioneering work. This was yet another parallel between the life of Jessie Paxton and that of Margaret McMillan, who was awarded the CBE in her lifetime. Both women were born in the United States but educated in Scotland, both effected great changes in the nurture and early education of young children. Each was resilient in the face of setbacks, was willing to challenge various forms of authority and ultimately took on a level of responsibility that took a toll on their own health. 

Jessie also provided inspiration for her younger sister Margaret Paxton who also focussed her energies on the wellbeing of children, opening a children’s home. More on that in a future post. Methil nursery bairns often made the trip to Homelands to play on the lawn there and run around in the sunshine or to visit the beach. At Christmas there was a party or a pantomime, often in Methil Parish Church Hall. Finally, in 1960, the long-term future of the nursery was secured when a new purpose-built facility opened, funded by Fife County Council. This replaced the two existing nursery buildings, both of which closed.

The new nursery was the 26th school building constructed in Fife after the war. It was officially opened by Police Judge Andrew Goodwillie, vice-convener of the County's Education Committee. For the first time, a quarter of a century after starting out, Miss Paxton's nursery finally had a new and properly funded building. She remarked that she had always dreamed of having such a school and that "never in my wildest dreams did I expect a spacious and magnificent place such as this." Jessie and her staff moved to the new nursery and worked under the Fife County Council Education Department. By this time, some of the early nursery bairns were parents of the new nursery pupils. 

Two years after the new nursery (pictured above) opened Jessie Paxton (pictured below) passed away in a nursing home in Edinburgh aged 66 after a spell of ill health. Notices of her death from the 4 April 1962 Leven Mail are shown below. After her death the nursery was renamed the 'Paxton Nursery' and it continues with the same name, in the same building, to this day.

The impact that Jessie had is still felt today and many continue to remember her with great fondness. She was a courageous woman who had a vision, persevered to make that vision a reality and devoted her life to its continuation. She was the first to introduce the new 'nursery movement' to Fife and had the resolve to do what she thought needed doing. Overcoming initial hostility to the scheme, many inconveniences, sporadic vandalism, wartime hardship and a constant struggle to secure premises and resources, Jessie paved the way for other nursery schools to be established and to become fully accepted as a key part of Fife's educational provision. 
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​The personal tribute to Jessie below was written by George Simpson Barron, draper and ex-Bailie of Leven and was published in the 4 April 1962 Leven Mail.

The Durham Hall building started out as the Durham Female Industrial School, founded in 1859 by Mrs Dundas Durham of Largo House. The school provided girls with a curriculum that included both traditional education and training in domestic ‘industry’ (e.g. sewing, knitting and laundry). From the start the building was also used outside of school hours. For example, the Volunteer Force (established in Fife in 1860) held drills in the school and its grounds. When a company of the Boys’ Brigade was started in Largo in 1909, the Durham School was chosen as its meeting place. The Parish Council held meetings there and the Red Cross ran classes in first aid and home nursing.

The school did enrol both girls and boys for much of its existence and in 1911 the school underwent modernisation. A new chimney was built, a partition was added to divide the largest classroom, and a laundry room was created with washing tubs and a cooking range (these features are marked on the floor plan image further down the page). These works enabled new ‘practical instruction and continuation classes’ to take place covering laundry, cookery, dress-making, upholstery, woodwork, book-keeping and shorthand. 

​After a spell lying empty after the war, St David’s Parish Church bought the building in 1955. Tradesmen from the congregation worked to repair the roof, remove a wall to create the large hall and install an up-to-date kitchen. The architect-drawn floor plans show the layout before (above) and after (below) this work was carried out (source H.E.S.).

​Completed in August 1957, the renovated hall was formally dedicated the following month (see full report on that from 2 October 1957 Leven Mail below). In May 1958, a concert party took place to thank the men who had helped convert the former school. Around 150 people packed into the hall to be entertained by singing, monologues and music from the piano and oboe. Tea was then served and the evening was rounded off with a dance.

Over the years that followed, the hall was used for many activities including the Church Youth Club, Boys Brigade, Brownies and Guides, coffee mornings, jumble sales, meetings and as a polling station for elections. ​In the 1970s the hall was extended to provide further space. The new addition was named the Mackie Room after a church member who had left a bequest. This room originally had a flat roof (seen in the top black and white photograph) but this was changed to the present sloping roof in the 1990s - see far left part of the hall in the image below. This year, the Durham Hall will act as the hub for Largo Arts Week 2021 - for more on that see https://www.largoartsweek.com/.
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The image above, which appears in the book 'Seatoun of Largo' by Ivy Jardine, shows what is now the Temple Car Park. The Cardy Net Factory can be seen behind the many boats pulled up from the beach (including what might be the Semiquaver - the largest boat, resting adjacent to the factory). To the right and slightly elevated is a roofless old building - a former school. The 1853 Ordnance Survey name book helpfully describes the school as follows:

"Durham's School: A school in the hamlet of Temple, erected by subscription in 1836. The teacher is a female who receives a salary from Mrs Durham of £20 per ann. also school fees. It is attended by about 60 scholars."

This provides a definite date of 1836 for the origin of the school and tells us that this was a 'subscription school' i.e. the school was organised and governed locally and parents paid a fee for children's attendance. Like many village schools of the time, it was single roomed and had only one teacher (in 1853 this was Miss Caroline Spence). Also mentioned in the 1853 name book are the other local schools, namely: the Emsdorf School (built 1821 and also attended by around 60 pupils) and the old Kirkton School (which was attended by around 150 scholars at the time).

The newspaper item below from the 18 May 1837 Fifeshire Journal confirms the 1836 origin and tells us that General Durham was actively involved in the school's establishment. This is General James Durham of Largo House (1754-1840). It also mentions that the teacher in 1837 was a Mr Wilson. Interestingly, the piece notes that the establishment of the school had been resisted by many.
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General Durham died at Largo House in 1840 and was succeeded in his Largo estate by his nephew Thomas Calderwood Durham of Polton. The latter died only two years later, also at Largo House, and was succeeded by his brother Admiral Sir Philip Charles Henderson Calderwood Durham. Philip died in 1845 in Naples and his estates at Largo and Polton passed to his niece Lilias Dundas Calderwood Durham (the daughter of Thomas Calderwood Durham). She was the widow of Robert Dundas of Arniston, who had died in 1838.

Unsurprisingly, as decades passed, the small subscription school became inadequate for the needs of Lower Largo. A site on Donaldson's Wynd was selected for a bigger, more substantially-built school (see map below from 1866 which features both schools). The 1861 census for Lower Largo lists two school buildings: a 'subscription school (empty)' and a 'female school'. A newspaper piece (see further below) from 15 June 1910 Leven Advertiser states that "the Durham school was founded in 1859 by Mrs L. D. C. Durham". Mrs Durham spent time at Largo House between 1845 and 1868 and took a great interest in the local community and especially in education. In her later years, she sold the Largo estate to William Johnson of Lathrisk in 1868 and settled at Polton. She died in 1883 in Lanzo, Italy.
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The 1862 Westwood's Directory notes within the Largo section that "a new female industrial school" had been built in Lower Largo, with a Miss Robertson in charge. This new school also became known as the Durham School. Mrs Dundas Durham (1799-1883) is pictured below (courtesy of National Portrait Gallery, London). The marble memorial tablet to her within Largo Church is also shown below. 
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The Durham school remained in active use long after the era of the Durham family in Largo. While control of the schools at Kirkton and Lundin Mill transferred to Largo School Board in 1872 with the passing of the Education Act, the Durham school stayed under the control of the Kirk for many years thereafter. The 'Largo Village Book' of 1932, in its section about schools, after mentioning the schools in Kirkton and Lundin Mill, says:

"There is yet another school in Donaldson's Wynd. This is just above Lower Largo, known as the Durham School. This did not pass out of the Church's hands nearly as soon but remained under the management of the Kirk Session till after 1892. A lot of children used to go to the Durham School. There was always a school-mistress there and latterly the younger children went. A few years ago, however, it was closed as a regular school and has now been fitted up for classes, and here the Continuation Classes are held."

A footnote further explains that it was 1895 that the Kirk Session ceased to manage this school. The reason that it did so was due to the need for extensive repairs and improvements for which the Kirk Session had no funds. The Largo Village Book also tells us that the school evolved from a regular school into a continuation school earlier in the twentieth century. The newspaper archives tell us that the building was altered in 1911 to improve heating, lighting and use of space, plus fit it up for cookery and laundry lessons. The advert above from the 28 September 1911 Leven Advertiser lists some of the continuation classes available following the building's refurbishment.

​Below is a photograph of the Durham school (now Durham Hall) in the mid-1970s. Now 160 years old, the building is still serving the local community well.
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The road annotated on the aerial photo above is Durham Wynd, which runs down from the A915 close to Largo House to Lower Largo's Main Street near the Orry. Some folks will still know this road as 'Donaldson's Wynd', as that was how this road was referred to for around a century. Until recent decades there were almost no buildings on either side of this road - it was bounded by fields on both sides. As such, references to it in historical records are scarce. Below is a rare early reference to Donaldson's Wynd from the 4 April 1878 Fife Herald.

Occasional references to Donaldson's Wynd continue to appear in the newspaper archives from then up until the late 1950s. The alternative name of 'Durham Wynd' eventually began to appear in parallel, especially from around 1929, when some houses were build adjacent to it (see example further below from the 16 March 1929 St Andrews Citizen).

​In fact, as far back as 1892 the dual name of the road was acknowledged - see below from the 17 September 1892 St Andrews Citizen. This piece calls the road "Donaldson's or the Durham School Wynd". Of course, it makes sense for the road to be referred to as 'Durham School Wynd' as the new Durham School was built on it circa 1860 (more on that in a future post). But where might the original name of 'Donaldson' have come from?

A likely origin of the name Donaldson's Wynd would be that it was named after David Donaldson (or one of his forebears). Like many of the inhabitants of early 19th century Lower Largo he was a hand loom weaver but crucially he was one of the few inhabitants to actually live on this road. The only houses located on it then were those found at the foot of the wynd close to the Orry. David Donaldson lived in one of these. David also held an official position of importance within the community. His name appeared on advertisements for teaching staff at the original Durham School (located at the Temple car park). Applicants were to apply directly to him, suggesting that he was perhaps clerk to the school board or equivalent body. Notices below from 14 March 1839 Fifeshire Journal and 27 May 1841 Fife Herald respectively provide examples.
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David Donaldson died in 1852 aged 78. Perhaps when the new Durham School was erected on the wynd a few years later, close to his former home, a name was needed and his was chosen. Whether the wynd already bore his name before his death or whether it was named in his memory is unknown but the name certainly stuck long after his passing. If you know any more about the origins of the name 'Donaldson's Wynd' please comment.

The wynd is quite steep at its lower end and many of the mentions of it in the newspaper archives relate to accidents that have taken place there. A few examples of these are given below...

Anyway, over the last century, the road has become increasingly built up on both sides as the aerial view at the start of this post shows. Successive housing developments over several decades have seen it transform into something that would be quite unrecognisable to David Donaldson. In spite of the change to 'Durham Wynd' over time, the Donaldson name lives on both in the memories of many and in the name of the small housing development at the top end of the road - Donaldson's Court.

Kirkton of Largo Primary School's present building was completed in 1879 replacing the former school (later Scout Hall) further down North Feus in Upper Largo. A comparison of the building as it looks in the present day with old architect drawings downloaded from Canmore (the national record of the historic environment), shows that the school has lost many of its original ornate features including the steeple, chimneys and the barge boarding on the roof apexes. The drawings are dated to the time of the 1910 additions and alterations by Haxton and Watson of 5 High Street in Leven but reflect the original 1878 design by John Melvin & Son of Alloa. The floor plan below shows the separate girls and boys entrances at the front and some detail on the classroom layouts and other facilities.

The building of this school was preceded by years of debate and controversy. A summary of the saga was published in the 15 November 1877 Fife Herald under the headline "An Irrepressible School Board". Pointing out that "school board squabblings" had once been more common but had "long since settled down", aside from "one board which has not yet given up the ghost on contention".  The piece continues:

"During the weary four years of its existence it has been going from bad to worse...In the Largo School Board, which has been the scene of so many wordy warfares, the great topic of contention has been the propriety of erecting a new school or enlarging the old school at Kirkton. With singular variableness the Board, or rather a section, has oscillated from one proposition to the other."

The Education (Scotland) Act of 1872 had made primary education mandatory. This triggered the creation of 1,000 regional school boards and led to the need to increase many a school's capacity. Kirkton School had an average attendance of around 90 pupils around 1874. An early idea was to build a new classroom at the back of the existing school. This suggestion was met with objection from the then teacher who said this plan "broke up and destroyed his garden"! 

A counter proposal of building out at the front of the school was also deemed unacceptable (and led to the board member who suggested it retiring in disgust). It was then resolved to lower the floor (in order to effectively heighten the roof). Some outlay was incurred to do this work but not long afterwards it was concluded that a new school was needed after all. Ratepayers protested at this and much debate ensued about a suitable location. The site eventually chosen next to the cemetery was deemed by many to be "unhealthy".

Other newspaper reports on the proceedings of the Largo School Board around this time talk of "hot words", walk outs and "disgraceful conduct". The Fife Herald piece concludes that "there must be a screw loose somewhere when in a company of representative parishioners things have come to such a pass."

Eventually the new school was built and its first head teacher was Thomas Nicoll who remained in post for 35 years bringing welcome stability. His successor David Low Pye was head teacher for over twenty years. Below is a little snippet from the school's history, telling of a scheme to provide lunch to school pupils in 1896 (21 November St Andrews Citizen). The idea of vegetables from the Largo House gardens being made into soup by a lady that lived in North Feus and given to the Kirkton pupils is a lovely one - local food supplies being put to good use with no 'food miles' or packaging involved.
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This sketch appeared in the Dundee Evening Telegraph on 5 May 1903. However, I suspect the sketch was done perhaps around a decade before that date, as there is no development on the south side of Crescent Road. It likely dates to a similar era to the photograph in an earlier post - click here. 

The article that accompanies the sketch describes how the "Leven and Lundin Links are held on lease by the three local clubs - Innerleven, Thistle, and Lundin - the proprietors being Sir John Gilmour, Bart. of Lundin and Montrave, and Mr R.M. Christie of Durie. The three clubs have equal right to the privileges of the course, and a Committee of two from each Club constitute the Board of Management, with the indefatigable worker on behalf of Thistle, Mr J.T. Ireland as Secretary."

The piece goes on to describe each hole on the course, as it was then, by name and in some detail (a topic for a future post). A visitor could buy a monthly ticket for 6s. The course record was 74 - held by David Kinnell. Memberships were 200 for Innerleven, 500 for Lundin and 650 for Thistle (1350 total). It's also noted that "a two-inch waterpipe runs the whole length of the course, and the greens are not allowed to starve for want of refreshing moisture. Three men are constantly employed on the links."

The houses shown in the background of the image are accurately drawn. From left to right these are: 'Fir Park'/'Braddan' (now 5-7 Crescent Road); 'Elphinstone'; 'Melville Cottage' (now Old Calabar); School and Schoolhouse; 'Bayview Cottage' (now Oldfield) and 'Murree Lodge' (now Glenairlie - No.23).  Interestingly, the latter house looks quite different today. The sketch shows a much smaller, symmetrical home. Since then Glenairlie has been significantly extended to the left. The stretch of Crescent Road shown dates back to the years immediately following the opening of the railway (and the stalled attempt to expand the village by then owners Standard Life Assurance Company). These houses were once referred to locally as "The Cottages".

The open ground upon which the golfers are practising would soon be developed - with a road constructed alongside the new house named 'Norvil' (see here for a later image of the same area). The 'fashionable' nature of the village and the building of proper services and infrastructure meant that the expansion of Lundin Links really took off in the years that followed.

Very exciting news today!

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) have released a huge number of newly digitised photographs that were taken around rural Scotland in the 1970s. The images were originally gathered by The Scottish Countryside Commission, many during a survey of C-listed buildings. The full collection is available to view at canmore.org.uk. There are many of Lundin Links, Lower Largo and Upper Largo. Full details of the release here:

https://www.historicenvironment.scot/about-us/news/newly-digitised-images-tell-story-of-rural-scotland-in-1970s/

Permission has been granted for specially downloaded watermarked versions of the images to be displayed on blogs, so this will be a fantastic resource for this site to tap into. The images will no doubt pose questions and inspire new lines of research. Here is a small selection of the local scenes that particularly caught my attention (downloaded according to the guidelines and with watermarks displayed under each)...

Above are some of the Leven Road shops in Lundin Links while below are:

• 'Beechwood' the 1895 villa that faces these shops;
  
• the old Lundin Mill School on Crescent Road photographed soon after the move to the new school;
• the Old Manor Hotel in its Beach Hotel days;
• Cardy Net Factory;
• Lower Largo Post Office (more recently home to Very Crafty);
• and Wilson's shop in Upper Largo.

Loads more to see on-line - enjoy!