Description

Kirkcaldy is a town of 50,000 people that grew rapidly after the arrival of railway in 1847, evolving from the sleepy 'Lang Toun' with a population of 12,000 to a thriving industrial community. Linen factories sprang up, later becoming linoleum factories, while coal mines and engineering works, together with a busy harbour and a rail network, ensured that the town would never be quite the same.There have been good and bad changes in Kirkcaldy over the years, with many features that were once treasured now lost forever. This book includes landmarks such as the railway stations at Dysart and Sinclairtown, the churches at Gallatown and Loughborough Road, the Linktown potteries, Gladney House and Viewforth Towers.Kirkcaldy has also given birth to its share of residents who went on to significant achievements. Men such as Adam Smith, the founder of economics; the famous architects William and Robert Adam; and Sir Sandford Fleming, inventor of Standard Time and builder of the Canadian Pacific Railway, are all pictured alongside finely detailed captions.Other sections contain photographs of people, streets and shops, and memorable events which have long since passed into memory, capturing the character of the town and its inhabitants.Compiled by Kirkcaldy Civic Society, this unique collection will appeal to those who have grown up in Kirkcaldy and also newcomers or the younger generation who would like to see what their town was like to live in decades ago.