The previous five blog posts have charted the history of the Lundin Links Hotel, from its 1900 opening to the more modern era of the 1960s. The years from the 1970s to the present day will remain fresh in the memories of many, if you have your own memories or photos that you would like to share, and add into the archive of the hotel's history, please do get in touch, either by commenting on this post or hitting the 'contact' link on the sidebar (or footer on mobile version of site). The black and white images of the hotel above and below date to the mid-1970s and belong to the Canmore collection of Historic Environment Scotland. J.W. Mathison was still in charge at the hotel at this time. He advertised Christmas Dinner in 1975 at £2.50 plus VAT per head. A night's accommodation was £5.25 for a single room and £8 for a double.
Above is a typical advert for the hotel from 1980, setting out the entertainment for the week ahead. A mix of private functions, music nights, high teas and bar lunches would have been typical of the time. The price of £1.75 for a full supper with live music sounds like a good deal. Early in the 1980s the Jurecki family, who also had several other local businesses in both Lundin Links and Lower Largo over the years, ran the hotel. The adverts below date to 1982 and you can see the 'under the care of M. J. & R. Jurecki' note on all of these. Also notice the reference to 'our new Papillion Restaurant' and the 'Double L'.
Circa 1984, ownership changed, with Peter and Mhairi Taylor becoming resident proprietors. Below is a postcard featuring a range of images from their time in charge, as well as a 1984 newspaper advert highlighting their chef's dishes and Sunday carvery lunch.
A highlight from the mid-1980s was when the TV series Tutti Frutti was filmed inside the hotel during the summer of 1986. The images above are stills from scenes filmed inside the hotel. Also shown is a publicity shot featuring some of the cast, that appeared on the front page of the East Fife Mail. Around this time the next hotel owner, Campbell McIntyre, took over. The images below of the hotel at night, the bridal suite and the bar date to his era. As the 1980s drew to a close, David Tong took over the hotel for a brief spell.
A longer spell of ownership occurred between 1991 and 2002 when Ian Ladd and Lyn Barron-Ladd owned and managed the Lundin Links Hotel. Stating that they wished to appeal to both local clientele and those from further afield, in 1992, they embarked upon an extensive facelift for the property. The ground floor was redesigned to create a new restaurant and to double the size of the bar area - which was renamed the 'Side Door Bar', following a naming contest. A dance floor, CD juke box and pool table were installed. The reception area was moved and a new replica arched doorway was created by John Donaldson the joiner. The images below, which appeared in a full-page advert in the East Fife Mail, illustrate the changes. The downstairs restaurant initially specialised in Tex-Mex food.
Later the ground floor was significantly enlarged with the addition of the conservatory style Brasserie restaurant. This was named 'The Braeside' (later changed to 'Alexander's'). In 2002, Grant Ross took over the reins at the hotel and further refurbishment was carried out, including moving the kitchens to the ground floor and creating a conferencing and banqueting suite. A selection of photographs, from more recent times, can be seen below.
The final owners, from 2010, were Claire and Martin White. The hotel finally closed its doors in January 2014. It was incredibly sad to see the hotel slowly deteriorate over the years that followed. Without wishing to dwell on recent events, the final photographs below show the hotel boarded up and then its remains after the fire that took place on 17 August 2022 (and before the demolition which began on 1 September and was carried out by Austin Wilkinson Demolition). A distinctive landmark for almost a century and a quarter, the hotel may now be physically gone but the good times that it provided will live long in the memories of a great many people.
With many thanks to Stuart Donaldson for the images of fire-damaged hotel.
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