Homelands was a large villa build during the 1860s not long after the arrival of the railway in 1857. It was one of a few large villas built in a short phase of development which preceded the more extensive turn of the century expansion of the village. Homelands occupied a large plot running between Leven Road and Links Road, adjacent to the Bowling Green. The top photograph shows the main house in the centre beyond a busy bowling green, and the gardener's cottage to the right of it (behind the flag and bowling green pavilion). To the left, wooded gardens ran down towards the golf course.
Homelands had a number of different owners and tenants up until 1908 when Robert Paxton bought the property. Ownership of Homelands would remain in the Paxton family until the death of Robert Paxton's daughter Isabel in 1993 at the age of 88. The house and grounds were left to the Fife branch of the MS Society and although the main house itself was demolished recently, work is in progress on an exciting new chapter in the history of Homelands (more on this in the next post).
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