On the face of it, not much has changed since the above postcard view, entitled 'West End Lower Largo', was captured in the early 1930s. However, the use of the buildings on the right has changed significantly. In the 1930s, the painted sign above the shop on the far right reads "Leven Reform Co-operative Society Ltd", while the one to the left of it states "Peter Scott" who had a grocer shop there. In the centre of the 1930s shot, with the ladies standing outside doing a spot of window shopping, was "Mrs Davie", the ladies' and children's outfitter. Today there are no shops on this stretch of the street - all have been converted into housing long ago.

The buildings on the left hand side, originally known as 'Seaview', pre-date those on the right hand side by a good couple of decades. The buildings on the right (originally named 'Forthview Place') were built in 1887. The grocer shop above, labelled "Peter Scott", was originally occupied by Robert Alexander. He had been working as a grocer in Kirkton of Largo in the shop run by James White (who died in 1878) and his family. Robert married James White's daughter Janet in 1882 and they had a son, James White Alexander, in 1884.

As part of their move to the new Lower Largo premises seen above, Robert Alexander applied for a porter and ale license for the shop (see 19 Oct 1887 notice in Fife Herald below). However, this was unanimously refused because "within two hundred yards from this shop were two public houses and a fully licensed grocer's shop" (14 Nov 1888, Fife Herald).
The neighbouring shop (that would become the Co-op) was originally a milliner's shop run by Agnes Guthrie (nee Gilchrist). She was the wife of harbour master at the time, Henry Guthrie. 
​

On 5 April 1891, when the census was taken, Robert, Janet and James Alexander (aged 6) were recorded at "Forth View Place Grocer's Shop". However, the very next month Robert Alexander died. He was aged only 33 years old. By this time the grocer's shop was licensed and in October 1891, Janet Alexander applied for a transfer of the license. She retained ownership of the business and had tenant grocers run it. In 1895 the tenant was Thomas Cooper. In 1905 it was Edward Guthrie. From 1906 Peter Scott was tenant grocer.

Janet Alexander died in May 1912 and her son James became owner of the shop. James had been working as a journeyman grocer under Peter Scott for a spell but was described as a fruiterer in Kirkton of Largo just before he went off to fight in the First World War. James Alexander was never to return - dying on 3rd May 1916. His name is the first in the alphabetical list on the Largo War Memorial. Peter Scott remained at the grocer's premises until the 1930s (becoming the proprietor rather than tenant during the 1920s). Willie Gould took over the grocer's around 1932.

On 19 July 1837 The Scotsman newspaper ran the story above about a tremendous thunder-storm which caused multiple fatalities in Upper Largo. The incident was supposed to have occurred on the "links adjoining Mr Beveridge's farm" (Buckthorns farm). The description of how ten people were killed outright made shocking reading. Understandably, it was said that this "made a deep impression on the villagers".

​However, three days later the same paper conceded that the story was "without foundation" and actually a "pure hoax". The story had been written under a fictional name and left in the letterbox of the newspaper. It had been used in "good faith" due to the recent spate of thunderstorms and the occurrence of "similar, though less alarming accidents" elsewhere. The actions of the hoaxer were condemned for creating "serious alarm in the minds of those who had friends residing in the place to which the accident was assigned."

In spite of the retraction of the story, it continued to be printed in papers up and down the country including the piece below from the Birmingham Journal, right up until 5 August!

The above painting by German-born artist Eugene Dekkert was recently sold mislabelled as 'St Monans Harbour'. Many will recognise it immediately as Largo Harbour. The same view is shown below from both c1900 and the present day. One key feature is missing from the painting, however. There is no railway viaduct. This is not because the painting pre-dates the building of the railway line. In fact, it has been deliberately left out - no doubt to create a nostalgic view of old Largo.

Dekkert was born in 1865 - eight years after the opening of the railway line. He came to live in Scotland and lived in first Glasgow and then the East Neuk of Fife in the early 20th century. He and his wife Emma were living in St Monans at both the 1901 and 1911 census. The fact that he lived there, along with the fact that he often painted the harbour at St Monans probably accounts for the inaccurate title on the painting above. It was said in 1906 that "the sea is never absent from his work" and that his style was "strongly individual". He had studied at the Academy in Munich as a student of Theodor Hummel.  

Presumably he returned to Germany at the time of the Great War. Later in life Dekkert participated in art exhibitions in Berlin, Dresden and Munich. Many of his works are in international as well as German museums, such as the Neue Pinakothek in Munich. Eugene Dekkert died in 1956.

Woodwell House was situated on the brae or wynd behind the Lundin Links Hotel, opposite Fir Park. The house's original name was 'Wynd House' but this was later changed to another descriptive name, determined by its location next to a well and opposite the woods. The house was located for practicality - low-lying, right up against the road, tucked into the side of a slope. Unlike many houses in the village, this one was not positioned for the pleasant view or quiet location. It was likely built soon after the 1790 creation of the turnpike road through Lundin Mill. Handily sited between the inn and toll house to the south west and the mills and brewery to the north east. The feu upon which Woodwell House was built stretched far behind it, up and over an elevated ridge, towards what would become Emsdorf Street. 

The house and garden were owned by Andrew Dall in the 1840s. He was a stone mason, so perhaps he (or a relative) was the builder of Woodwell House. After Dall died in Lundin Mill in 1843, aged around 67 years, his widow became the proprietor. On the 1850s feuars map of Lundin estate, the plot is registered to "Andrew Dall's widow" (as were two other feus very close by). On the feuars map the house has an annex adjoining it - added at some point to provide additional space. In the 1851 census, Andrew's widow Ann and daughter Cecilia were living in the house. It would be passed down the family for multiple generations.

Another of Andrew's daughters, Elizabeth, married coal miner Thomas Black and lived in the house from around 1855. They were still there in the both the 1861 and 1871 census, along with their children (most of whom were likely born in the house). One of their daughters, born in 1857, was named 'Helen Lundin Brown Black' - her middle names presumably taken from the then minister of the Free Church in Largo, Rev. Robert Lundin Brown.

Elizabeth Black died in 1879 aged 54. By the 1881 census her widower, Thomas, was living in the smaller part of what was then named 'Wynd House'. One of his daughters (Ann) lived in the main part of the house with her second husband William Cowan (a flax scutcher), her 3 children from first marriage (to Walker Harris), plus their 2 children together.  In 1891, Ann Cowan was in the main part of the house with six of her children, while two lodgers were in the annex. By 1901, the house has been renamed 'Woodwell House' although still occupied by Ann Cowan, two of her daughters and a domestic servant. The annex was occupied by one lodger - local police constable, William Mitchell.

In the 1911 census three Cowan sisters were living at Woodwell - Rose Ellen, Edith and Caroline, along with Edith's husband John Warrender. Their mother Ann Cowan (daughter of Elizabeth Dall and Thomas Black) lived at Earnest Cottage just down the road from her daughters until she died there in 1915 aged 69. The children of Ann Cowan collectively owned Woodwell for decades after that. Edith and John Warrender lived in the main house, while the annex had various tenants. Peter and Agnes Bloomfield lived there in the early '40s until Agnes's death at the house in 1943 aged 81. The Bloomfields relatives, John Mackie (gardener at Kellie Castle) and his wife Janet Younger, then lived there. Janet Younger Mackie died at Woodwell in 1944. 

During the late 1940s and early 1950s the house was occupied by David and Jane Erskine and their daughter Jessie. When Jessie married John Aitken in 1950, they lived in Woodwell House also, until it was condemned. Both the Erskines and the Aitkens were rehoused in Durham Cresent, Lower Largo, when it was newly built. Although that marked the end of an era for Woodwell House, the site was reconfigured to become a garage/workshop - in which form it can still be seen today on the east side of Largo Road (see image below).

The 1878 oil painting above is by Robert McGregor (1847-1922) and is not only set in Largo but the painter used locals as models in this scene. The original hangs in the McManus Galleries in Dundee and is accompanied by the information below. It's interesting to see a Largo painting which is more focused on the people than the landscape. Featuring folk of all ages, the piece gives a great idea of how locals would have dressed at the time and shows the attraction of the visiting knife grinder. 

It's tricky to establish the precise location of the scene but the best clues are in the background. In the detail shown below, the spire of Largo Kirk is visible in the middle background and could that be Largo House to its left? If so, the location could be somewhere between the Main Street and South Feus, amongst the back gardens and outhouses. Alternative theories welcome!

Robert McGregor was born in 1847 in Bradford, Yorkshire, the son of a Scottish businessman who later relocated to Dunfermline and subsequently to Edinburgh. He frequently painted working men such as fishermen, shepherds, crofters, pedlars, and farm labourers. However he also painted Scottish, French and Dutch country and coastal scenery.  He first exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy in 1873 and was elected a member there in 1889. He exhibited at the RSA until 1914 and died in Edinburgh in 1922.

Incidentally, the life of the knife grinder was not an easy one, as the newspaper clipping below illustrates (Fife Herald 6 August 1884).

Following on from the demise of Largo Station, let's look at the final days of Lundin Links Station. The demolition of the station buildings at Lundin Links can be accurately dated thanks to a preserved paper trail. On 26 November 1971, the Fife County Council Master of Works acknowledged receipt of an application from Lundin Golf Club to demolish the station buildings (see below). The site of the station was adjacent to the golf course and some time after closure of the railway line, the Club purchased the disused site. 

The application appears to have been acted upon swiftly, as the note below dated 1 December states that the station buildings have been demolished and that the levelling of the site is underway. 

So after a spell of lying derelict, the station buildings were removed and the whole station site absorbed into the golf course. The location where the station buildings stood is now a course maintenance area, alongside the 17th fairway, adjacent to Links Road. For images of the station after closure but before demolition please click here and also here. Below is a photograph of the part of Links Road (once known as Station Road) where the station once was. Memories of the station or its demolition would be very welcome - please comment or get in touch through the 'contact' link.

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.

The previous post covered Lundin Mill Farm, focusing on the former mill and grain store building. The postcard view above shows a different part of the farm, looking north east across some of its arable fields (the mill building being off to the right). Wheat, oats, barley and potatoes were some of the crops grown over the years, while pigs and cattle were also kept at various times. Part of the Largo Estate, the extent of Lundin Mill Farm is shown below in the blue-grey colour (extract from the estate map of 1866). 

Mr George Bell secured the tenancy of both Lundin Mill Farm and Largo Home Farm following John White's retirement late in 1896. He already farmed at Downfield, Kingskettle. When he died in 1925 at the age of 64, George Bell (pictured below) had farmed Lundin Mill for almost thirty years. He had also been a member of the Largo School Board and a keen member of Largo Curling Club. He was also involved in local golf and was in attendance at the opening of the Lundin Ladies Golf Course in 1910 - see here for images from that event (perhaps he was number 6 or 10 in the photograph of attendees?).

The tenancy next went to George Penrice (who was already farming at Pitcruvie) later in 1925. When he died in 1940, the article below featured in the 9 October Dundee Courier. The farm was continued for some time by his sons. The last tenant farmer at Lundin Mill was Robert (Bob) Ednie who retired from the farm in the early 1990s.

Many will remember the derelict building pictured above which sat on the north side of the Keil Burn at the west side of Largo Road, down in the dip and opposite the former Keilside Bakery. This was demolished in 1995 ahead of the Bett Homes development at Penrice Park. A further development of flats followed a few years later by Thomas Mitchell builders (the later development being more closely aligned to the footprint of the old farm steading).  At the time of the demolition (February 1995) archaeological survey work was carried out (just ahead of the digging of drainage and sewage trenches to serve the new housing). Historic Environment Scotland records state that:

"Archaeological watching brief in the course of the demolition programme at the farm steading and mill complex of Lundin Mill Farm, Lundin Links, Fife by GUARD, revealed that the mill with its associated kiln had been the original building on site, followed in the early 19th century by the farm outbuildings. There was no evidence to suggest the existence of earlier buildings at the location, although cartographic evidence indicates that the site was being utilised for milling of grain from at least 1775."

It would seem likely that the building dates to mid-eighteenth century but was renovated in the early nineteenth century around the time that Earnest Cottage was built. Earnest Cottage would appear to have been the farm house before the construction of the newer Lundin Mill Farm House circa 1870s. 

John Band has produced a series of drawings to provide an insight to what went on within the building when it was a working mill. To set the scene, please click here to see location maps and some background on 'thirlage' and on water rights. Also, see below for the overall building layout as surveyed in 1995 (source: Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division).

The annotated drawing below, shows the upper ground floor plan of the mill end of the building (immediately above the lower ground floor layout given above). To view that as a PDF please click here.

​Details are also given below of the dam, weir and lade that served the mill. See inset for larger version of the drawing of the dam across the Keil Burn and the lade that ran alongside.

Above are two images from the Canmore collection, showing the building's north elevation (upper photograph) and south elevation (lower photograph). The former having the appearance of a single storey structure while the latter shows two stories. 

What follows below are section drawings, showing the upper and lower ground floors together and featuring elements such as the waterwheel, hoppers, kiln and hoist. A PDF of this drawing is available here. 
​

Finally, below are details about millstones and how they were dressed. Also included are a ranged of phrases still used today that derive from the milling process and the days when this was far more central to everyone's daily life. A PDF-version is available here. At the foot of the post is another Canmore photograph - this time showing the west elevation (with the four storey 'Millburnlea' on Largo Road visible on the far right in the distance).