Details of what life was like at Largo House during its first century are hard to find. I intend to keep looking, but this post contains what I have come across so far. On 1 March 1812 the Scots Magazine contained a small feature tantalisingly entitled "Description of Largo House". It reported the house as being an "elegant mansion" which "lies on the west side of Largo Law, at a distance of a mile from the sea, and commands one of the finest and most extensive prospects in Scotland. A little to the North are the remains of the old house, which consist almost solely of a single round tower." Unfortunately, further details were scant and no information was given about the interior or grounds of the house, or the daily routines that went on there. The interior of the house would surely have been impressive. This was a boom era for interior design where it became fashionable for the decoration, fittings and furniture inside a house to be integrated with the architecture of the building itself.
Some of the best clues to the early days of the building come from old maps. The 1775 map suggests a main entrance into the house and grounds directly facing the house frontage (on the A915 mid-way between Durham Wynd and the corner turning up to Upper Largo). However, by 1828 the map shows that the driveway had been remodelled to enter close to the corner of the A915 and the road up to Largo Home Farm (the tree-lined track of which can still be traced today). An 1854 map shows a lot of detail of the grounds. The sketch below (based on the 1854 map) illustrates the key features of Largo House and grounds in the mid-19th century.
Some of the best clues to the early days of the building come from old maps. The 1775 map suggests a main entrance into the house and grounds directly facing the house frontage (on the A915 mid-way between Durham Wynd and the corner turning up to Upper Largo). However, by 1828 the map shows that the driveway had been remodelled to enter close to the corner of the A915 and the road up to Largo Home Farm (the tree-lined track of which can still be traced today). An 1854 map shows a lot of detail of the grounds. The sketch below (based on the 1854 map) illustrates the key features of Largo House and grounds in the mid-19th century.
The map paints a picture of self-sufficiency, with the grounds containing wells and water pumps, a series of walled gardens, a dove cot, a quarry and lots of ancillary buildings. Most references to Largo House in the newspaper archives from this period relate to the gardeners there, who frequently won prizes at various horticultural events. The map confirms that the gardens were extensive and well-organized. A Mr Thomas Stewart was a long-time gardener at Largo House. When he left in 1840, a report in the 12 November Fife Herald stated that:
"a select party of gardeners and others met in Anderson's Inn, Colinsburgh, and gave a supper to Mr Thomas Stewart, gardener, Largo House, on his leaving this neighbourhood for Edinburgh, in order to testify their respect for him as a professional gardener, and their esteem for him as an intelligent companion and an agreeable friend. Mr S. has lived for 25 years at Largo, and all present expressed their regret on account of his leaving Fife, and their best wishes for his welfare."
"a select party of gardeners and others met in Anderson's Inn, Colinsburgh, and gave a supper to Mr Thomas Stewart, gardener, Largo House, on his leaving this neighbourhood for Edinburgh, in order to testify their respect for him as a professional gardener, and their esteem for him as an intelligent companion and an agreeable friend. Mr S. has lived for 25 years at Largo, and all present expressed their regret on account of his leaving Fife, and their best wishes for his welfare."
1840 had also been the year of the death of the James Durham whose birth notice was included in the previous post . This notice was listed in the Morning Post of 18 February.
During his lifetime, General James Durham had the stable block built (in 1815), the two wings constructed on the rear of the house, had the conservatory added and had the Eagle Lodge and Gate added with a new driveway (all 1831) (source 'Largo: An Illustrated History' by Eunson and Band).
During his lifetime, General James Durham had the stable block built (in 1815), the two wings constructed on the rear of the house, had the conservatory added and had the Eagle Lodge and Gate added with a new driveway (all 1831) (source 'Largo: An Illustrated History' by Eunson and Band).
On 6 April 1837, the Fife Herald ran this short story about a cannon which had been installed at Largo House. It seems to have drawn many people to the house to inspect it. Eunson and Band record that the cannon was moved in 1868 to Polton House.
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