VINTAGE LUNDIN LINKS AND LARGO
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North Feus, looking south east

3/11/2020

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A comparison above of part of North Feus, Upper Largo, looking south east back towards the Main Street. Most of the prominent buildings in these views are largely unchanged. Even a telegraph post remains in the same position. The passage of time has mostly resulted in more hedges and cars. On the extreme left is an eye-catching skewput (the structural feature where the gable meets the top of the wall) in the form of a global atop a cube. That belongs to number 24 which is largely out of shot. The black and white fronted house next door is Briary Cottage. Further down this side of the street is the old school.

​Dominating the left side of the street is the rear of Rose Cottage (the front of which can be seen below in a Canmore photograph dating to the mid-1970s. Listed in 1984, the listing description is as follows:


Circa 1860; single storey and attic 3-bay cottage, whin rubble with prominent painted droved ashlar dressings. Central door, 12-pane glazing in ground and 3 bowed dormers. Slated roof, straight skews, end stacks with 3 diamond flues to each. 3 windows to rear with small piended addition at north east. Plaster decoration remains in hall. 
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Newburn Old Church

21/10/2020

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Above is a 'then and now' comparison of the roofless ruin of Newburn Old Church, which is located to the north west of Upper Largo, close to Drumeldrie. The east end of the church is of pre-Reformation date and may be part of the original structure, which was dedicated by Bishop Bernham in 1243. The top postcard image above dates to the early years of the twentieth century, when the structure was covered with thick ivy, long since removed. Two very new-looking headstones appear in the foreground on the left, which appear more weathered and less straight today. The chain link has disappeared from the stone posts surrounding this plot. The gravestone on the extreme right above has been removed, apart from its base, while some neighbouring headstones have tilted with the passage of time.

Here's what RCAHMS had to report on the Old Parish Church following a field visit in 1927:

"At the south side of the road close to Little Dumbarnie, half a mile north-west of Balchrystie, stand the ruins of the old parish church, so densely clad with ivy that the external features are not apparent . The rubble walls rise to a height of about 12 feet, and there are east and west gables, the latter with a late belfry. The church measures internally 54 feet 10 inches in length by 12 feet 4 inches in breadth at the east end and 14 feet 10 inches at the west end the widening being all on tile north between the west gable and a transeptal aisle, which projects from the middle of the north wall and is a later addition.

The windows, one of which in the west gable has had a circular head, are now all built up, and other structural changes have been made. The original entrance is probably the round-headed door near the western end of the south wall, but the porch which covers it is later. An equilateral-headed credence in the north wall with roll-moulding and outer checks for a door and a small locker-recess beneath, is a pre-Reformation feature, as is also a recessed piscina, chamfered, with a bowl 10 inches in diameter opposite to it in the south wall. A larger recess at the southern end of the east gable, 2 ½ feet high by 1 foot 10 inches wide by 1 foot 2 inches deep, now closed by a memorial stone, may also be early."

A few hundred yards away is the the early nineteenth century parish church which replaced the old church around 1815. This later church closed when the last minister of Newburn, Reverend Frederick Cox retired in 1958. The Parish of Newburn was united with that of Largo at that time. One of the ways in which the Old Newburn Church was recognised by the united church was by the holding of open air services there on the Sunday closest to midsummer's day. The old ruined church is in a beautiful spot and is filled with interesting features and memorials - well worth paying a visit to.

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Modernisation of Central Garage

6/9/2020

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The above announcement appeared in the 6 May 1959 Leven Mail, to share the news that Saunders and Wood had taken over Upper Largo's Central Garage from Harris and Sons (the family who had run it for around four decades). Later the same year, the advert below from 17 June 1959 Leven Mail tells us that the garage offered 'motor sales and services' and that a 'six-seater car' was available for hire.
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However, in 1965, plans were drawn up for the modernisation of Central Garage, which was now in the ownership of  the Harley brothers. Above is the proposed front elevation, featuring new tall windows on the right that would allow a clear view into the car showroom for passers by. The floor plan below has the 'car showroom' marked on the right hand side as well as an angled 'showspace' at the far left, adjacent to the concrete forecourt. The modern garage lasted around three decades before its collapse and replacement with housing.

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Upper Largo Shops and Residents

2/9/2020

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As a follow-up to the post about Central Garage, the above postcard image (circa 1905) of the east end of Upper Largo's Main Street shows the site of the garage prior to its establishment. The house on the extreme right is where the Harris family lived before moving to Manelian in the mid-1920s. Next door to the left of that are buildings that were also owned by James Harris. These included a laundry, a draper's shop and a saddler's business around this time.

Meanwhile, on the left hand side of the road are an interesting set of businesses with some legible signage visible (see enlarged image below). On the far left of the image is a single storey cottage with a sign on the roof that reads CYCLISTS REST REFRESHMENTS. This may have been associated with the grocer shop which was located in the building around this time. The rising popularity of cycling, as well as the proximity to T.G. Wishart's cycle maker and repair workshop, made it a good business decision to target cyclists in need of refreshment. 

Next door, where the group of children are standing, was Peter Cowie's chemist. Then we come to Robert Melville the plumber (whose sign is visible high on the side of his shop). Beyond that, is Thomas Black shoemaker - some of his signage is still visible on the building today. The final building which can only just be seen at the end of this side of the street, with the group of three people standing by the door (one in a long striped apron), is the butcher. At the time this was run by William Bousie Simpson. Perhaps it is the man himself that stands at the door wearing his butcher's apron.

Clearly everyone was aware of the presence of the photographer when this view was captured. Perhaps it was in fact Peter Cowie the chemist who was responsible for the photograph, as he had a darkroom and sold photography supplies. Maybe he invited his neighbours to be part of the scene. Taken in winter with bare trees and well-wrapped up children, the inclusion of so many local people in the image really adds to its historic value.
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Central Garage, Upper Largo

27/8/2020

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​The above 1920s photograph shows James Harris and Sons' 'Central Garage' on Upper Largo's Main Street, with a rather splendid vehicle emerging from the main entrance. The photograph is part of a larger advertisement (see foot of post) that appeared in the 'Guide to the Kingdom of Fife' by Andrew S. Cunningham. At the time the garage boasted space for 20 cars, a kerbside petrol pump, closed and open motors for hire as well as lorries and a charabanc.

James Harris was born in Collessie in 1869. While working as a coal miner, he met and married Helen Evans of Dunfermline in 1891. They settled in Largo, where James's occupations included carrier, coal contractor and a hirer of horse-drawn vehicles. By 1911 he operated one of Fife's first motor hire services. Later he became a pioneer of motor coach services. Circa 1921, with an expanding business and seven children, James converted the buildings shown above (once the site of an early 19th century brewery) into the garage, which he ran with his sons James, William and Benjamin.

In 1925, James opened a large garage on Commercial Road in Leven. The two-centred business thrived and, by the 1930s, the family operation had diversified to include a Buckhaven to St Andrews bus service and wide-ranging motor coach tours - see advert below from 24 July 1934 Leven Advertiser. The piece further below from the 30 November 1937 Leven Advertiser reflects the success and popularity of Harris and Sons, with 200 people attending the annual staff dance that year. 
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The Harris family lived at the corner of Main Street and South Feus, in a house named Evanslea (to reflect Mrs Harris's maiden name), before moving around 1925 into 'Manelian' on South Feus. This flatted building was named after the four Harris four daughters - Maggie, Nellie, Lizzie and Annie. In addition to his business interests, James took an active role in community life. For example, he was a member of the Parish Council, a president of the Largo Pier Committee, Treasurer of Largo Curling Club, a member of the Fife Education Authority, part of Largo Baptist Church and was organising secretary to the East Fife Liberal Association. James retired around 1940 and died in 1951 aged 81 (survived by his seven children). His first wife Helen had died in 1941. He remarried in 1942, to Cecilia Gulland. The garage (seen below in the 1950s) changed hands a number of times into the 1990s. Ultimately the old building collapsed and was demolished and the site is now occupied by housing.

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The Largo Motorcycle

29/6/2020

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Here is Thomas Graham Wishart posing with his creation - the 'Largo' 2 H.P. motorcycle. Manufactured within his own workshop at East End, Upper Largo, this model featured a battery, coil ignition and a belt drive. Boasting a maximum speed of 45 mph, this vehicle managed 150 miles to the gallon. Wishart was born in 1871 and, while still a young man, set up a 'made to measure' cycle business. This flourished and over time developed into a motor business. He became well-known for his invention - the Wizard Carburettor - which saved petrol and increased acceleration. 

The photograph above appeared in a 1977 East Fife Mail, as it had been part of an exhibition at Kirkcaldy Industrial Museum. A member of the Wishart family had donated a series of photographs and accompanying family history to the museum. The EFM article also notes that the original photographs were gifted to Largo Library. Does anyone know of these?.

The photograph below shows Wishart in the driving seat of his motor car. Registered SP for Fife (and 349 for the 349th registration within Fife), it is unclear whether he had a hand in the creation of this particular vehicle. Many early cars were developed by cycle engineers and Wishart's car below illustrates this connection with its spoked wheels and handle-bar style steering.

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​Above is an advert from the 10 August 1899 Leven Advertiser for the business, while below is another from the same newspaper dating to 25 April 1901. 

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Merry Christmas 2019

23/12/2019

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Merry Christmas! 
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A few festive snippets from the past below. Firstly, back in 1906, the shopkeepers of Lundin Links had made a special effort with their Christmas window displays and postmen were kept very busy.

Secondly, a round up of the various Christmas church services that took place amidst "boisterous" weather in 1929.
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​Finally, ninety years ago, a children's annual treat was held in the Simpson Institute in Upper Largo - complete with a tree laden with toys and a visit from Santa Claus.


Hopefully, Santa will make a return visit this Christmas Eve!
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St Andrews Citizen 29 Dec 1906
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Dundee Evening Telegraph 23 Dec 1929
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Fife Free Press 4 Jan 1920
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Thomas Graham Wishart

10/12/2019

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The top advert dates to 13 July 1899 (Leven Advertiser) and the second advert dates to 1904 (East of Fife Record 1 July) and features Largo Motor and Cycle Engineer T.G. Wishart. One of Wishart's creations was the 'Largo' brand of cycle which he made himself. He bought, hired out and taught people how to use bicycles - later moving also into the sphere of motor cars. ​Thomas Graham Wishart was born in 1871 to John Wishart and his wife Elizabeth Henderson.  John was gardener at Airth Castle who regularly won prizes for his fruit growing. The family lived at Airth Castle Stables. After a spell at Shanwell House in Kinross, the family moved to Largo in the late 1880s.

John Wishart bought an acre of land at the east end of Kirkton of Largo to set up a market garden. Meanwhile, Thomas began a joinery apprenticeship at Strathairly. From a young age Thomas demonstrated a flair for engineering. At the age of 16 he had exhibited a design for a steam engine at Dundee Industrial Exhibition. In 1890 he patented a design for an improved speed regulating governor attachment for a steam engine. At the time of the 1891 census, Thomas was living with his parents and working as a joiner.

In 1896 he married Sarah Lee whom he met at Strathairly where she was a domestic servant. The same year Thomas's father John died. Around this time Thomas began to manufacture cycles at the Upper Largo site and, by the census of 1901, he was described as a 'cycle maker and electric bell fitter'. He was living with wife Sarah and their two sons (John and James - named after their two grandfathers). The advert above from 1904 details that types of services offered by the business.

Outside of work, Thomas was an avid curler. With his expert input, the curling pond behind the Simpson Institute was lit in 1905, using electricity generated by an engine he had specially adapted (see 29 Dec East of Fife Record piece below).
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All evidence points to the photograph below (from 'Victorian and Edwardian Fife' by Lamont-Brown and Adamson) being Wishart's shop and workshop. The image captioned 'Largo's first car' shows a very early motor car. In the shop window are the cycles that Wishart sold. There is an advert for 'Shanks Lawnmowers' below the window on the right of the photo and Wishart supplied and fixed such lawnmowers. It also looks like his late father's market garden (including greenhouse) in the background. Could the image show Wishart standing next to a customer?

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​Thomas Wishart was also the Secretary of the Largo Brass Band before the First World War. In the previous post, mention was made of how Wishart drove around the streets of the Parish advertising a bazaar in aid of the band in 1909. The article below from the 21 October East of Fife Record tells us a bit more about the car in question. Wishart had rebuilt an old Decauville car - making it more powerful, adding new features and causing "quite a sensation".
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In 1911 Thomas described himself as a 'Motor cycle engineer'. Around this time he joined Largo Parish Council. In 1915, aged 44, Thomas enlisted for the Great War effort becoming an electrician in the Army Service Corps. He spent time in France and became a Sergeant in 1918. When the war ended, Thomas was part of the Army of Occupation in Germany. While in Cologne in 1920 he was a passenger in a motor accident which resulted in two months in hospital and ultimately an end to his military career.

He returned to Largo and continued to work as a motor engineer. The business was now styled 'Wishart & Sons', with both sons following in their father's footsteps. Thomas also continued to invent - including the 'Wizard wringer' attachment for laundry, a special trolley for moving pianos and the 'Wizard carburettor'. He also resumed his hobbies including the Curling Club and the Brass Band. In 1928, Thomas was president of Largo Brass Band and both of his sons were members. Sadly, Thomas's younger son, James (who had six years army service during and after the Great War) died in 1927 aged just 28. Elder son, John went on to become a chief electrical engineer and was pictured in the Courier of 6 November 1928 when he took up a new position at Inveresk Paper Works (see image at the foot of this post). He lived until 1982.

Sarah Wishart died in Largo in 1934 aged 67. Thomas Graham Wishart died 26 August 1960 in Collessie aged 89.

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Ellen Batty Upper Largo

8/9/2019

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Saturday 19th November 1949 saw the opening of Ellen Batty's Drapery Shop at 35 Main Street, Upper Largo. The shop sold clothing for ladies, gents and children, as well as toys and general 'fancy goods'. The shop building had already existed for decades by this time, having for a long time housed a butcher with slaughterhouse attached. 

Records of a 'flesher' at the premises go back to at least the 1850s when Alexander McGregor ran the business with wife Isabella Morrison and her brother Robert. By 1881, Alexander's son Andrew McGregor had taken over, working alongside his widowed mother. However, ten years later, it was another son - Alexander - who was running the business with his mother.

Around the turn of the century the business was taken over by William Bousie Simpson (himself the son of a butcher) who ran it for decades until his death in 1932. William's wife was Helen Henderson - hence the adjacent house was name 'Helenslea'. Helen moved to Durham Terrace in Lower Largo after WIlliam died (also calling her house there Helenslea) and her son James took over as butcher in Upper Largo for a spell. In the late 1940s, Mr R.T. Walker was butcher here but in 1948 and again in April of 1949 the family were hit by two tragic events and the butcher business ceased.
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​So late 1949 saw the beginning of a new identity for the shop, as a drapers. Ellen Batty ran the shop for around four years - offering such specialities as alterations on the premises, options for the "above average" figure, evening dresses and twin sets (see advertisements featured in the Leven Mail above). In 1953 the clothes shop was taken on by Mr B. ​Wallace who continued to trade through the remainder of the 1950s. The Leven Mail adverts below suggest his focus was more on menswear.

Eventually, the building's time as a commercial property came to an end and work was carried out to convert it into a dwelling in 1960. The shop entrance and display window were replaced with the windowed frontage that we still see today. Below are the planning application drawings for its 1960 change of use, a mid-1970s photograph of the property and one more recent image.

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Largo Snippets

26/6/2019

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Vintage news reporting often includes stories that no one would bother documenting nowadays. These charming stories - of unusually large fish, swarming flies, flowers blooming, birds nesting and the like - show how people were very in tune with their natural surroundings and how life's tiny details were considered 'news'. Here are a few more examples of small-time tales from a bygone age...

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A summer hail shower made the news in 1875 (3 July Fifeshire Advertiser).
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Wood pigeons found themselves in the firing line in 1870 (22 September Fife Herald above).
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An unusual apple was newsworthy on 31 August 1887 (Fife Herald). 
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A tree root was chosen as a hiding place for counterfeit coins in 1875 (30 December Fife Herald).
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The Fife Free Press of 1 June 1935 above harked back to "old world" Largo.
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