VINTAGE LUNDIN LINKS AND LARGO
  • Blog

Alexander Wallace Hogg (1834-1883)

1/10/2021

1 Comment

 
Picture
The Blacksmith's Shop by William Stewart MacGeorge

While researching the history of South Feus, one name that cropped up frequently in the early history of the street was Hogg. Alexander Hogg (1807-1870) was a village blacksmith for many years. He was the ninth of thirteen children of Alexander Hogg (manufacturer associated with the linen trade) and his wife Elizabeth Grieve. Alexander the blacksmith lived and ran his business at the west end of South Feus and round the corner next to the hotel (see 1854 map below where his blacksmith shop is circled). This was an ideal location for such a business - right on the main routes to St Andrews and the East Neuk from Leven and close to Largo House.

With the horse being the essential means of transport, the blacksmith was a key village craftsman. Aside from the manufacture of horse shoes, the blacksmith's forge would produce a wide range of implements for domestic, agricultural and other use. Many blacksmiths were also wheelwrights. Blacksmith's shops often descended from father to son but this was not the case with Alexander Hogg. His eldest and only surviving son, Alexander, had an alternative career in mind. So after Alexander senior's death in 1870, the family premises passed on to his daughter and son-in-law and were repurposed into a joiner's workshop.

Alexander's middle daughter of three (Elizabeth Hogg) married Peter Broomfield the joiner. Elizabeth had left Largo to become a domestic servant (cook) in Edinburgh's New Town and likely met the Midlothian-born joiner during her time there. The pair relocated to Largo and began the joinery enterprise in Kirkton - the legacy of which continues to this day (there is still a joiner's workshop on the site (see image further below)).

Picture
Picture

So, what path did Alexander Wallace Hogg take? His career choice led to success but took him away from Largo. However, he never forgot his roots. By the time of the 1851 census, aged 16, Alexander was working as a grocer's assistant in Newburgh. From there he went on to serve an apprenticeship with a grocer’s firm in Perth. Later, he was then engaged by the firm of ‘Messrs John Beattie & Co.’ sugar brokers of Glasgow. In 1856 he married Agnes Turnbull and in 1858, he formed a partnership with John Myles to trade as commission and produce brokers. At the time of the 1861 census Alexander was a 'sugar merchant' living in Hospital Street, Govan, and he had two sons, the eldest also named Alexander Wallace Hogg. When John Myles died in 1867 at the young age of 33, the business partnership was dissolved (see notice below from the Dundee Courier of 30 August 1867).

Picture

By 1871, the family had grown to six sons and one daughter and they were now living at Elgin Villas in Shawlands and had three domestic servants. Two years earlier, Alexander had created a new firm in the name of ‘Alexander Hogg & Co,’ based at 60 Virginia Street, Glasgow. This firm would become recognised as one the of the most extensive in its dealing in British and foreign refined sugars. In 1872, Alexander Hogg acquired the Dellingburn Sugar Refinery in Greenock and the business was conducted under the firm of ‘Hogg, Wallace & Co.'. The family home in Shawlands was named 'Largo Villa' in recognition of Alexander's birthplace. Now number 1331 Pollockshaws Road, the house as it is today is shown below.

Picture
Picture
​
Greenock at the time had a number of sugar refineries. Along with shipbuilding and wool manufacturing, sugar refining was a significant employer in the town. Greenock is the birthplace Abram Lyle of Tate and Lyle - which became the most successful of the refineries. Alexander Hogg's firm was successful too and in 1880 he was able to purchase a beautiful marine summer residence known as Ardenlee set in four acres near Dunoon (see advertisement from 28 April 1880 Glasgow Herald). Just like another 'Largo Villa' owned by a native of Largo, this building later became a care home. In the census of 1881, only the youngest child, Agnew, was at home with Alexander and Agnes at Largo Villa, along with three domestic servants. The older children were all staying at Ardenlee with an aunt and other servants.

Over the years, Alexander hadn't forgotten his family in Largo and the place of his birth remained important to him. In 1872, he presented the congregation of Largo St David's Church (then the United Presbyterian Church) with a bell to hang in the small belfry atop the south gable, upon completion of the new church. In 1879, upon the death of Thomas Hogg of Lundin Mill, he had paid back the amount that the Largo Parochial Board had spent on the care of his late uncle (see piece below from 13 March Fife Herald).
​
Picture

In 1883, and aged just 49, Alexander Hogg died at Largo Villa. Having made the decision to forgo the life of a blacksmith, he succeeded in big business on the other side of the country but didn't live to see old age, as his father had done. On the day of Alexander's funeral, the Greenock Sugar Exchange was closed. Such a mark of respect had never before been paid to a member of the exchange. He had been held in high esteem for his 'probity, urbanity and considerateness'. 

The sugar broking business continued to thrive under the management of  son and namesake Alexander Wallace Hogg junior. In 1886, Greenock's 
James Watt Dock opened, providing shipping and shipbuilding facilities including a large warehouse (known as the Sugar Shed - pictured below in recent times) which was used for both imported raw sugar, and refined sugar ready for delivery. By the end of the 19th century, around 400 ships a year were transporting sugar from Caribbean holdings to Greenock for processing and there were 14 sugar refineries.

Picture

The younger Alexander Hogg lived at Largo Villa with his widowed mother, and they continued to use Ardenlee in the summer months. In 1889 Alexander was sued for breech of promise by Miss Annie G. Macfarlane. In 1887, he had asked her parents consent to his marrying her and had given her two diamond rings. However, many months later he had broken off the engagement, allegedly damaging her reputation. The newspaper reports of the time tell us something about the lifestyle that Alexander junior led:

"He is very wealthy, and has two pleasure yachts, one of them being about 60 tons; keeps carriages and coachmen; and owns several prize horses."

In the end, the pursuer accepted £1,000 plus expenses to settle the case. On 12 January 1895 Agnes Hogg died aged 66. Soon afterwards, in 1898, aged 42, Alexander junior migrated to Australia, where he remained for the rest of his life. he died in Sydney in 1909. In more than one sense, he ended up a very long way from his grandfather's blacksmith's shop in Largo.

Picture
1 Comment

South Feus

24/9/2021

4 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
South Feus in Upper Largo is described as "a quiet byway of diverse, early 19th century properties, which enjoy the open view south across the Forth" in Glen L. Pride's 'The Kingdom of Fife: An Illustrated Architectural Guide'. However, this is not quite an accurate statement, as the oldest house on this street dates to 1790. Many properties are indeed early 19th century but others are of a different age. The top black and white postcard image above shows the west end of South Feus around 1900. The most obvious change, when looking at the same view today, is the invasion of parked cars.

Although the street features several architectural styles, a number of the houses share the distinctive feature of drum-shaped dormer windows (also found on a few Main Street properties). These are typical of the late Georgian period. Daniel MacCannell's 'How to read Scottish Buildings' tells us that "dormers that are round or oval (if viewed from directly above), each containing one standard sash window and slated around the rest of their circumference, are very frequently seen on Edinburgh buildings from the end of the eighteenth century". These remained in fashion until around 1840 when bay fronted dormers became the norm. So the properties with those features are most likely early 19th century.

Picture

When viewed from the south, you can appreciate variety of architectural styles that make up the grouping. The 'Upper Largo Conservation Area Appraisal and Conservation Area Management Plan' drafted by Fife Council in 2012 states that:

"In the early 1800’s growth occurred in response to the ferry at Lower Largo and later the railway station and its resort status together with adjacent Lundin Links. The villas and house along South Feus are a reflection of this. The 1861 Parochial Directory for Fife & Kinross notes: ‘Both Lower and Upper Largo are favourite resorts as sea-bathing quarters, a number of the inhabitants letting out a portion of their premises to summer visitors.’"

This suggests an early phase of development triggered by the establishment of a regular steam boat ferry service in the early 19th century and a later stage of new building on the back of the 1857 arrival of the railway.  However, the first dwelling on the street predates both of those events. Back around 1790, the house now known as The Grange, but formerly known as Bayview, was built for Adam Wilson. Wilson was the factor for James Calderwood Durham (1732-1808) of Largo House. The role of factor was basically to undertake the day-to-day management of the estate, often overseeing improvements, as well as ensuring the repairs and maintenance, collection of rent, etc were carried out. It was a position of some standing and in this case the factor was given a home in-keeping with the importance of the role.

There is a memorial stone to James Calderwood Durham in Largo Kirk, stating that he had "for many years directed the improvements of this county". His factor Adam Wilson would have facilitated many of those improvements. In 1800, Wilson married farmer's daughter Christian Edie but their union was to be short lived. Adam Wilson died the next year and was buried in Largo Churchyard on 30 September 1801. Christian went on to live to the age of 93, passing away in Upper Largo in 1866.

Picture
Picture
By the time of the 1854 Ordnance Survey map of Upper Largo (above), Bayview (now The Grange), in its sizeable plot, in the centre of the street (by the '150' contour line), had been joined by other houses on each side. Those included Largo Cottage to the west (left) with ground stretching back to the Main Street; and to the east (from left to right) Southview, Seafield and Carlton. There is evidence that many of these early homes would have originally had thatched roofs. Thackstanes can still be seen below several chimneys​. ​Known as 'New Feus' for a time after this phase of development, the name had evolved into 'South Feus' by the 1870s, although sometimes the term 'The Feus' was also used (as was the case in the 1891 census).

Carlton, 8 South Feus, was so named after the birthplace of Emma Clayton - i.e. Carlton, Huddersfield, Yorkshire. She was married to Robert W. Clayton who owned this property as well as Hallwells in Lundin Mill. Their son was William Clayton, a marine engineer, who died in WW1 and was married to Jessie Clayton, who began La Scala cinema after she was widowed. La Scala was run by her sons Bill and Thomas Clayton for many years. The gable end of Carlton can be seen in the postcard image below, looking west along South Feus.
​

Picture

A later addition to the street was the building on the right of the above image - St Leonards. South Feus had long been home to the village doctor, with Dr George Lumgair settling there in the 1840s at Largo Cottage. He lived out the rest of his life there and his wife Frances died at Largo Cottage in 1900. Lumgair's assistant Dr Stuart Palm married his daughter and had St Leonard's built in 1880. Palm became the village doctor after Lumgair's death in 1884 and remained so until his own death in 1908. Palm's successor Dr William Eggeling also resided at St Leonard's. Another late 19th century building, which filled a gap to the west of Largo Cottage, is Viewfield (number 20), dated 1893. 

The newspaper piece below from 30 September 1908 tells of a day of celebration on South Feus. The newly installed doctor, Dr Eggeling, returned from his honeymoon with his wife Ellis Mitchell Wood. The couple were given "a right royal reception", their house was decorated with bunting and a crowd of well-wishers awaited their carriage. That evening the brass band marched along South Feus.

Picture
South Feus contains the highest concentration of listed buildings in the Upper Largo conservation area. Even those buildings which are unlisted are of high quality and the row as a whole has a fairly cohesive character. South Feus is highly visible when approaching Upper Largo from the south, and no building more so than number 26. It creates a striking impression with its bowed whinstone gable and carved stone owl on the gable apex. Surprisingly, this feature (see photograph below) was added circa 1970, when this house was remodelled. The black and white postcard image further below shows how this end of the street previously looked.

Picture
Picture

South Feus is said to "turn its back on the village to enjoy the uninterrupted views south across the Firth of Forth". Its elevated position with expansive views of Largo Bay made it a popular place for summer visitors to stay and the address often features in the newspaper archive lists of visitors coming from places like Edinburgh and Glasgow to enjoy the sea air. However, rather than turn away from the village, this street and its residents has always been an integral part of Upper Largo, being home to many people key to the local community from the estate factor, to a series of village doctors, and several local joiners. Peter Broomfield and his son Agnew Broomfield lived at the west end of South Feus, as did the Donaldson joiners in more recent times. The 1964 map of the street, below shows the properties in more detail. What the map conceals is the two centuries of village history connected to this short row of buildings.
​
Picture

Postscript:
Many thanks to John Band for leaving a comment pointing out that there is a blocked up access point to Largo House opposite the west end of South Feus (shown in the annotated photograph below). This would have allowed Adam Wilson (and subsequent factors) easy access from their own home on South Feus.  Look out for it next time you are passing!

Picture
4 Comments

Crusoe 300 - More from the summer of fun

24/7/2021

2 Comments

 
Picture

As a follow-up to the previous post about the Crusoe 300 event in August 1976, here are a few more images from the extensive programme of events that took place.  Perhaps the highest profile event that took place in Lundin Links was the 'It's A Knockout' competition that took place on Thursday 19th on the Common. This was an inter-village contest plus an inter-school contest, with Kirkland High School (The Crusoe Castaways) pitted against Buckhaven High School (The Buckhaven Buckaneers). In the photograph above the Elmwood Boarding House/Private Hotel can be seen in the background.

Picture

The Law Race took place on 17th August, leaving from 'Kirkton Park' (by the cricket ground) in Upper Largo.  The image above of the runners setting off shows the manse on the left and the East Lodge on the right. There were separate races for under 12s, 12-16 and over 16s. Below is the Gymkhana that was held in a field behind Horne's Service Station on 20th August.

Picture
Picture

On the 15th August, the Paraclan of Glenrothes did a free-fall parachute jump into Largo Bay close to the Pier (see photo above) while the previous day there had been a display of classic cars at Station Car Park (shown below).
​
Picture
Picture

​Also on 15th was the above display on the Pier by the Fourth Royal Tank Regiment. Meanwhile, Lundin Links saw an 'American' tournament of tennis at Lundin Sports Club (in full flow in the image below). Something for everyone....

Picture
All images from East Fife Mail (11, 18 and 25 August 1976)
2 Comments

Robert H. Melville - Plumber, Tinsmith and Gasfitter

21/6/2021

1 Comment

 
Picture

The shop in the centre of the above image is Robert Hannan Melville's business  as a plumber, tinsmith and gasfitter. Born in East Lothian around 1835, Robert followed in the footsteps of his father Samuel Melville who was also a tinsmith and plumber. Samuel had been based for many years at the Shorehead in Leven but was working in Largo by around 1860. Following his father's death in 1863, Robert took over the business. Below is an early example of either father or son's work - a miner's head lamp, stamped 'Melville Largo'. 

Robert's wife Agnes Oatman, who he had married in 1860, died in 1864, two days after the birth of their daughter Agnes. Robert remained at their home on Kirkton of Largo's Main Street, which was known as Melville Cottage.  In 1871 Robert was living with his three daughters, Catherine, Isabella and Agnes and a domestic servant. He was described as a 'master plumber employing one man and one boy'. He remarried in 1874 to Margaret McDonald. In 1881, the household was recorded as Robert (plumber employing 1 man and 3 boys), Margaret and 17-year-old Isabella, who was a pupil teacher. Eldest daughter Catherine was working as a nurse in Glasgow at the time, while youngest daughter Agnes was working in Edinburgh as a domestic servant.

Picture

​In 1885, 21-year-old Agnes Melville married Peter Blackhall, a journeyman plumber, in Upper Largo. The following year, their daughter Agnes Oatman Blackhall was born. Tragically, history repeated itself, with the baby's mother Agnes dying days later. Young Agnes was raised by her grandparents Robert and Margaret Melville. At the time of the 1891 census, 4-year-old Agnes Blackhall was living at Melville Cottage with Robert and Margaret.

Among the buildings that Robert Melville provided plumbing services for were: restoration work at Largo Parish Church, a new farm steading at Pratis Farm, Emsdorf Street's Bellville, work on G.S. Rodger's Upper Largo shop and many of the new villas built in the locality. Often he competed for work with another Kirkton plumber, Alexander Wilson.  

By 1901, the household at Melville Cottage comprised just 66-year-old Robert and 14-year-old Agnes, know going by the name Agnes Melville. Margaret Melville had passed away in 1898. Young Agnes was described as 'Assistant Shop Keeper (China)'. Alexander Allan ran a neighbouring china shop. Agnes (or Aggie) became a keen collector of postcards around this time. A selection of those she received during her late teens are shown below.

In 1911, Robert's eldest daughter Catherine (a maternity nurse) was living with him and he was listed as a 'plumber and gas fitter'. Granddaughter Agnes was by now in Glasgow, working as a hospital nurse and back to using the surname Blackhall. 
Robert Melville died on 15 November 1916, aged 82. Eldest daughter Catherine became owner of Melville Cottage and the other buildings that belonged to her father. Second daughter, Isabella, was married to Leven postmaster Alexander Hunter. Agnes Blackhall (the 'Miss Melville' of the postcards below) died in 1958, unmarried, having devoted her life to her nursing career.

Picture
1 Comment

Broomfield Gardens (originally Broomfield Buildings)

16/4/2021

1 Comment

 
Picture

Tucked in behind Church Place in Upper Largo, Broomfield Buildings (now Broomfield Gardens) was built circa 1895 by Broomfield the joiner. Containing four flatted dwellings, the building can be seen in the above aerial photograph to the right of the Church (with the grey roof and white walls). Below shows the other side of the building from ground level. The garden area associated with the flats can be accessed from a vennel at 10 Church Place. The vennel can also be seen on  the map further below.

Picture
Picture
Joiner Peter Broomfield was the son of a farmer, born in 1836 in Fala, Midlothian. As a young man, he had been one of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War, having enlisted in the famous cavalry regiment in his teens. He was wounded in the campaign and was invalided home. Later, Peter spent time working as a joiner in Edinburgh before moving to Upper Largo around 1873, with his wife Elizabeth Hogg and their three youngest children (none of whom survived childhood). The couple went on to have further children - Margaret in later in 1874, Agnew in 1876 and Christina in 1878. In 1878, Peter received the contract for the construction of Kirkton of Largo School which was completed the following year. Agnew followed his father into the joinery business. Elizabeth died in 1893 and Peter in 1898 (just a few years after the construction of the buildings named after him).

The family, who lived on South Feus, continued to own Broomfield Buildings for many years. At the time of the 1901 census, the tenants of the four flats were: a retired gardener and family; a postman and family (son of John E. Miller the cork cutter); a plumber and his family; and a retired lighthouse keeper (with his wife and two grandchildren). Some of these tenants (and others later) sublet their homes for the summer to visitors. Over the years, both births and deaths occurred in the buildings. One life that ended at Broomfield Gardens was that of William Mackie, a gardener at Largo House. He died in 1924 (see 16 September Leven Advertiser below) after becoming ill at work.
​
Picture

The building doesn't appear often in the newspaper archives but one snippet involved resident William Berwick avoiding serious injury while falling from a tree in his garden (see 10 Feb 1934 Fife Free Press below). William made the papers again the following year - for a happier reason. He was part of an "interesting trio" skilled in the game of bowls. William, his brother Melville and their father Thomas Berwick were all members of Largo Bowling Club. The 3 September 1935 Leven Advertiser reported that "almost any night a father and his two sons can be seen at play on the green" and between them had "won practically all the leading club awards". 
​​
Picture

The property was eventually sold by the Broomfield family. Below is a For Sale notice that appeared in the Leven Advertiser on 27 October 1936. Another more recent For Sale advert (26 Nov 1987 Courier) is further below. Agnew Broomfield, who was President of Largo Curling Club on more than one occasion, Vice-President of Largo Bowling Club and member of the Parish Council, died aged 89 in 1965.
​
Picture
Picture
1 Comment

John Edmonson Miller (1831-1905)

11/4/2021

2 Comments

 
Picture
Following on from the earlier post on cork cutters in Largo, we look at the life of another man who made his living from this occupation - John Edmonson Miller. He was based for many years on Kirkton of Largo's North Feus (shown above) close to the school in a house called 'Law Cottage'. He had strong links with another local cork cutter - Edward Johnston. Both of these Englishmen came to Largo around 1862 having worked previously in Norwich as cork cutters. 

John Edmonson Miller was b
orn in Deptford, Kent in 1831. His father, who shared the same name, was also a cork cutter. John was by 1851 a journeyman cork cutter in Bethnal Green, London.  Shortly afterwards he relocated to Norwich - a city with a long tradition of brewing (in 1836 there were 27 breweries in the city). Bottles needed corks and there were many cork cutters in Norwich - there was even a pub named 'The Cork Cutters Arms'. While working there, John must have become acquainted in Norwich with fellow cork cutter Edward Johnston.

John Miller married Mary Ann Perfect in Norwich and the couple's first child was born there before the family moved briefly to London around 1859. By the time of the 1861 census John Miller was a journeyman cork cutter in Bermondsey, London, living with his wife and their two daughters. However, the next year they upped sticks to Scotland, settling in Upper Largo around 1862. This move was very likely triggered by the untimely death of Largo cork cutter Henry Kirk. It would seem that both John Miller and Edward Johnston came to fill the void left by Kirk - quite how they came to learn of the opportunity is unknown. One theory could be connected to Great Yarmouth - the port where cork would have arrived to be transported to Norwich by river. Largo fishermen were known to have on occasion ventured to Yarmouth for long fishing trips. 
​
Picture

By 1871 John Miller was established as a cork cutter in Upper Largo, now with 7 children, 4 of whom were born in Largo. A decade later and he was still described as a 'cork top manufacturer' and had one further child. At some point, the Millers became involved with the Independent Order of Good Templars' Robinson Crusoe Lodge. John held various offices and appeared often in the newspaper archives as attending various meetings and events in connection with the movement. It's interesting that a bottle top maker, with connections to the brewing industry, went on to live by "total abstinence enforced by a life-long pledge, and the absolute prohibition of the manufacture, importation and sale of intoxicating drinks as beverages". The above programme for the local lodge from the "Good Templar Guide: North-East Fife District 1898-1904" notes John E. Miller as the Secretary at the time and shows that he and his wife were responsible for a number of the functions listed.

By 1891, John's occupation had evolved slightly to 'wood top manufacturer'. This was likely partly due to a general trend away from the use of cork to other materials for bottle closures but may also indicate that he wanted to cater for temperance drinks rather than alcohol. Below are images of a cork top (left) and a wood top (right). By this time, fellow cork cutter Edward Johnston had become bankrupt and had left Largo. John survived the changing fortunes of his trade but supplemented his income by having three boarders living in his household. Ten years later, aged 70, John Miller continued to host three boarders and was described as a 'wood top maker'. 
​
Picture
Picture

John Edmonson Miller died on 19th June 1905 at Law Cottage, Upper Largo - his death registered by son James, who lived very close by at Broomfield's Buildings. As far as I can tell, this ended many decades of bottle top making in the Parish. Modern innovation had by then changed practices completely. Ebonite or Vulcanite screw stoppers (patented in 1880) were advertised as superior to corks due to the ease of opening by hand (no need for a corkscrew), robustness (won't break like a cork could), airtightness (contents won't go flat) and reusability (if used many times were a fraction of the cost of cork). India rubber was heated in a process called 'vulcanisation' to create a mouldable, durable material that was used for bottle stoppers for decades. The adverts below show these stoppers, which fitted into an internal screw thread in the bottle neck, in detail.

Picture
Picture
2 Comments

Largo's Cork Cutters

3/4/2021

1 Comment

 
Picture
Picture

Back in the nineteenth century (and likely before then too), one of the occupations carried out in Largo was cork cutting. Among the men who described themselves as 'cork cutters' over the years were John Ballingall, Edward Johnston, Henry Kirk, John Edmonson Miller, Thomas Rankin and James Rodger. In addition, there were several boys employed to assist in this line of work.

Henry Kirk was a cork cutter based on the upper part of Kirkton of Largo's North Feus, shown in the above postcard image. At the time of the 1861 census Henry Kirk employed '1 man and 1 boy' in his cork cutting business. He was listed in the 1862 Westwood Directory (above) under 'miscellaneous'. It's likely that the cork cutters' main output would have been stoppers for bottles and other containers, such as the stoneware containers shown in the advert below for Henry Kennedy and Sons of Glasgow.

Picture
Raw cork came from countries such as Portugal, Spain and Italy into ports such as Leith and Kirkcaldy, before being transported on to Largo. The bulky nature of cork made it expensive to transport, so cork cutters tended to be based fairly close to ports. The cork cutter would grade the cork and prepare it for the production. Bottle corks or larger stoppers would have been cut from sheets of good quality cork and end cuts would be ground down then mixed with other substances to be moulded into other products. In addition to stoppers, other possible cork products would be floatation devices and shoe parts. Interestingly, Henry Kirk's father was a shoemaker, so it seems quite possible that there was a connection there. 

Tragically, Henry Kirk died in 1862 aged just 28, leaving behind a wife and baby daughter. Fairly quickly Henry's business was taken over by an English cork cutter, who relocated from Norwich to Largo. Edward Johnston stayed for decades to continue the business and in 1864 he married Henry Kirk's widow Annie. The couple went on to have 7 children of their own, as well as raising the daughter of Henry.  The 1871 census tells us that Johnston employed '2 men, 4 apprentices and 1 woman', suggesting that the business had grown significantly since 1861. 

Picture
Picture
This increase in production could well be linked to the opening of Cardy Net Works in 1867. Floats would have been required for the edges of the nets and cork was the material of choice for that at the time. In 1876, the Johnston family moved to a property on the south side of Upper Largo's Main Street. They named their home 'Norwich House' after Edward's home town. The house (later changed to 'Norwich Cottage') is shown in the centre of the map below.

Picture
​A listing for Edwards's cork cutting business appeared in the 1886 Slater's Directory (see below), however, his fortunes were about to change. In 1887 Johnston was declared bankrupt. A likely contributor to would have been the closure of the Cardy Net Factory around the same time. The factory had been impacted by a marked downturn in the fishing industry.

Details of Edward Johnston's bankruptcy show that money was owed to Fisher Howard and Sons cork merchants of Leith, David Gillies net manufacturer, Alloa Glasswork Company, Henry Kennedy Potteries in Glasgow (see advert further above), Robert White grocer of Largo, and J.A. Bertram and Company cork manufacturer, among others. This information confirms that bottle stoppers and floats for nets were a large part of the business. Edward then left Largo, never to return, and Norwich House was sold (see 8 Oct 1887 Fife News insert below). But there was another cork cutter operating in Upper Largo, who continued to trade for some time after Edward's departure. More on him, and on changing times as cork stoppers were being replaced with other forms of bottle closure, in the next post. 


Picture
Picture
With thanks to Vicki Howell for sharing information about Edward Johnston.
1 Comment

Largo Curling Club

21/2/2021

1 Comment

 
Picture
Picture

On 10th February 1841 a petition was presented to Thomas Calderwood Durham, nephew of General James Durham, who was briefly proprietor of Largo House, before Admiral Sir Philip Charles Henderson Calderwood Durham. This asked for the continued use of Largo Pond for the purposes of curling. It notes that curling had "been so long a favourite pastime with the inhabitants of this place" and that now there was a movement "to constitute ourselves into a Society, called the 'Largo Curling Club'".

The petition was favourably received and permission was granted for the newly formed club to have Largo Pond as there home. Largo House Pond was the club's base until 1905 when an artificial pond was laid down in Upper Largo, behind Crichton Place, next to the Simpson Institute. It is thought that curling had already been played at Largo Pond for about a century before the 1841 petition. There were certainly other curling clubs active nearby. Cupar Curling Club had been instituted in 1775 for example and there were active clubs in Colinsburgh (Hercules), Leven  and Kilconquhar. 

The newspaper piece above by Largo bank agent John More Dall (from the St Andrews Citizen of 8 March 1924) goes on to note that Largo Curling Club quickly affiliated with the Royal Caledonian Curling Club (the governing body of the sport, which had been established in 1838). A key figure in formalisation of the Largo Club was James Bardner, who was the club's first president. He was a farmer - a long-time tenant of Chesterstone Farm - who was a five-time president of the club before his death in 1872, aged 55. The Fifeshire Journal (6 Jan 1842) reported on the first anniversary meeting of the Largo Curling Club (see below). James Bardner (misspelled in the piece) presided over the evening. Held at Bell's Inn in Lundin Mill, the meeting confirmed the "encouraging prospects of their yet infant society".

Picture
Picture
Another important member of the club was John Whyte, farmer at Lundin Mill Farm. He was president, skip for many years and the outright winner of the biscuit box presented by Mrs Briggs of Strathairly (having won it three times). He eventually retired to Cupar in 1896. The photograph above from the book 'Seatoun of Largo' by Ivy Jardine shows a group of Largo curlers at Largo House pond before the move to the new pond (looking north west, the row of trees that then lined the entrance track to Largo Home Farm can be seen on the right). Another noteworthy member and skilled player was Donald Thomson, who had retired to Largo following many years of service to the Duke of Atholl. A "kind-hearted Highlander", Donal had outstanding talent as a curler, was a skip and a president of the club and secretary for eight years. Presidents of the Club were appointed annually and so were too numerous to mention in the 1924 history of the club. However, below is a list of the club secretaries from 1840 until 1924.
​
Picture
Picture
Above is a list of the trophies competed for (as at 1924) and below is a list of the club Chaplains over the early decades.
Picture
Also from the 1924 piece in the St Andrews Citizen is the summary below of a memorable game played in 1881. Notable for a number of reasons, this game saw Largo triumph over neighbouring Leven club in a match that had only men named John playing and which ended with a great snowstorm. The Largo team had to walk home over the beach - the roads having been made impassable.
Picture
A milestone in the club's history was the move to the new purpose-built rink in Upper Largo in 1905. This event also triggered the exodus from the club of many curlers that lived in Lundin Mill. They left to form a pond of their own - the journey to Upper Largo deemed too far in comparison to Largo House perhaps. More on that to follow in a future post. 

The pond at Largo House froze over slowly and with winters less severe than they had been in past decades, a move to an artificial pond made sense. Incidents like the one below (7 February 1901 Leven Advertiser) must have hastened the planning of such a move. The new pond could be sprayed with a thin layer of water that would freeze quickly with no risk of anyone falling through the surface. Moreover the new venue could be lit with electric light (16 lamps in all) - thanks to the ingenuity of Thomas Wishart. Upper Largo joiner Agnew Broomfield erected a fine clubhouse at the pond. Part of this can be seen in the photo below of the new pond in its early years (this picture appears in the book 'Largo: An Illustrated History' by Eunson and Band).

Picture
Picture

Just as technological advances enabled the artifical rink with its electric lighting, so further advances would result in this pond itself falling out of use. Indoor rinks began to appear and in the 1920s, Largo teams visited Edinburgh to play indoors. In 1938 Kirkcaldy Ice Rink opened (see 8 October 1938 Fife Free Press below). Times were changing but play continued at Upper Largo for many years after the locals had had their first taste of indoor curling. Improvements were made to the pond over the decades.
​
Picture

The club's centenary coincided with the Second World War and by the 1950s big changes would take place in the story of Largo Curling Club. At the 1952 Annual General Meeting reference was made to the club moving back to original location (i.e. Largo House Pond), suggesting that the artificial pond had become disused. Finally in 1955, the advert below appeared in the ​29 June Dundee Courier. The sounds very much like the club selling off some of its fixtures and equipment. The club survived these changing times and still continues to this day - playing indoors at Kirkcaldy. You can find out more about the present day club here. Further information about the club - memories, photos and facts - would be very welcome - please comment or click the 'contact' link.

Picture
1 Comment

North Feus, looking south east

3/11/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
Picture
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. 
Picture
1 Comment

Newburn Old Church

21/10/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
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.

Picture
2 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    About

    This 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!

    Search

    There is no in-built search facility on this site. To search for content, go to Google and type your search words followed by "lundin weebly".

    Contact

    Categories

    All
    Antiquities
    Beach
    Boarding Houses
    Business
    Churches
    Clubs And Societies
    Drummochy
    Facilities
    Farming
    Fishing
    Golf
    Houses
    Keil's Den
    Largo Law
    Lower Largo
    Masseney Braes
    New Gilston
    People
    Railway
    School
    Shops
    Standing Stanes
    Streets
    Tourism
    Upper Largo
    Viaduct
    War

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013

    Links

    Largo Baywatch Blog
    Fife Family History Society
    ​
    Polish Parachute Brigade Info​

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.