I have been curious about the early days of the old inn in Lundin Mill (the building that preceded the Lundin Links Hotel). It would be great to know precisely when it was constructed, by whom and for whom. Also, could there have been an even earlier inn prior to that? Some sources suggest the presence of an inn of some sort on this site from the early 17th century. I haven't found concrete proof of that, although it seems a compelling possibility, given the prominent position on a well-used road. Early maps lack detail, but the circa 1750 Roy map (see top image above) suggests woodland on the site rather than any building. Below that, also above, the circa 1775 Ainslie map shows a clearly non-wooded area at the junction of the main road and what is now Emsdorf Street - but no building. The c1828 Greenwood map, however, distinctly shows both the toll bar and house and the inn at the junction (see below).
The likelihood is that the inn, which stood until the 1890s, was built around the time that the road along which is sat was given turnpike status - that is c1790. There were many other inns built in Fife around the same time and earlier. Many were quite similar in appearance to the Lundin Mill one. Below are images, from top left going clockwise, of inns at Lathones, Pitlessie, Peat Inn, Gateside, Ceres and Colinsburgh. Lathones would seem to be the oldest - reportedly having origins going back as far as circa 1600. The Ceres Inn is thought to be circa 1721 and The Peat Inn mid-late 18th century. So the typical design of the Fife inn was largely unchanged for many a decade.
Even within Largo Parish, several buildings have a strikingly similar appearance to the old Lundin Mill Inn. Below clockwise from top left are the Railway Inn at Lower Largo, the inn itself, the Upper Largo Hotel and the Bridge House by the viaduct at Largo Harbour. These are broadly late-18th to early 19th century. The first tangible piece of evidence of the Lundin Mill Inn is from 1794, when a Mrs Wood is recorded in the register of Sasines as being innkeeper and presumably offering lodging and refreshment to travellers along the recently upgraded road. So a best guess might be that the inn was built between 1790 and 1794. I wonder what the rooms and the food were like....
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