Largo Station Demolition

11/1/2019

This set of four poignant colour photographs show Largo Station mid-demolition back around 1970/71 (can anyone put a precise date on this?). Many thanks to Russell McLaren for kindly sharing these images, which were taken by his father. The family lived overlooking the station and were regular users of the train service. The photographs are taken from Station Park looking towards the sea, with the original 1857 station building in the foreground (partially demolished) and the later 1894 building on the far platform. Prior to demolition, the buildings had been stripped of valuable materials such as the roof tiles. Having closed in 1965 (the final passenger service running on 5 September) the station had sat derelict for a few years. By 1968 discussions had begun on converting the Largo Station site into a car park, with a view to reducing congestion on Main Street. This eventually came to fruition and the car park remains in use to this day.

Below are a couple of images of Largo Station while still in use. Operational for more than a century, the station was once know for its well-kept gardens and attentive station masters - a great facility for locals and the start and end point of many a day trip and holiday. If you have memories or images of the station - please do get in touch. In the next post - details of the demolition of Lundin Links station.

Image above by Stuart Sellar (12 June 1960) - Sent to user by author, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19047496

4 Comments

John Band

11/1/2019 09:41:54 am

Brilliant photos, Great to see the original building from the goods yard side. I remember these days. Just before demolition and during. When the carpark was first formed the South platform had only been split roughly in half along its length and sloped down to the old track bed level. This left the footprint of the station building & the high rear wall/ footprint of the front & side walls of the signal box visible. Maybe a year or two later the carpark was widened and the entire platform removed along with the prize winning (by then overgrown) garden with its shell covered planters & walls along with a really nice large concrete disk with "Largo" embossed upon it, painted white above the early British Rail crest (lion striding a locomotive wheel). The remains of these garden hard landscaping details I am sure are now buried under the false grassy hillocks with trees on in front of the former station masters house. Circa 20 years or so ago the original timber steps and handrails to the rear of the station which were painted cream (on the right of the top of the path from the Main Street) were removed and replaced by the bland concrete version in place now. All that remains now is a small glimpse of the mainly buried goods platform adjacent to Station Park.

11/1/2019 11:16:35 am

I am sure the 2nd (widening) phase I mentioned above is under way in the last photo,picture quality different, the tracked shovel is a different model from the other photos and the garden/platform is in the process of removal / regrading in the background.

Iain Green

14/4/2019 01:47:16 pm

I don’t know the exact date of demolition but do remember watching it with my grandad, Duff Ross. Strange to see these images after all these years!

James link

9/4/2020 11:01:00 pm

Great photo of the steam train at the station which I remember well.
Russell McLaren-I'm 99% sure it's the same person I went to
school with and we lived about 6 houses from each other.His father
owned a heavy motor bike and used to transport us (as ~8 yr olds)
to his old motor boat along the coast.Three of us squashed on the bike at great speed so cops wouldn't notice..We never did get that old boat's engine to start so we missed out on the promised boat trip.Happy memories nevertheless.
Thanks to Russell for photos.
James (Perth, W Australia 50 yrs)

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Largo Station Demolition

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