I grew up in Lochgelly, 8 miles equidistant from the larger towns of Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline. Both places have large amounts of heritage to investigate but it's often the case we take things on our own doorstep completely for granted. Despite having lived just outside Dunfermline for the past 15 years, I would describe my exploration of this ancient seat of royalty as piecemeal. This occurred to me a couple of weeks ago when out walking in a far corner of the Glen on paths I'd never trodden before. I've culled this article from a variety of wanderings around my home turf.
Pittencrieff Park is known by locals as Dunfermline Glen and was gifted to the townsfolk in the early 20th century by Scottish/American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who spent the first 12 years of his life in Dunfermline. He made his fortune across the pond - chiefly in the steel industry - and became one of the richest men in the world. Carnegie never forgot his roots and bestowed a number of gifts upon his home town. Like many self-made millionaires, he strongly believed in education as a means of alleviating poverty and around 2500 Carnegie public libraries were established across the world. The first of those was right here in Dunfermline and functions as the town library today. I've walked through the Glen countless times, usually en route from the car park to the town centre but recently I've been making more of an effort to explore its hidden depths. The above picture shows the Laird's House, a grand residence in the days when the park was a private estate. After Carnegie bought the entire compound for the people, the main house hosted a museum and art gallery. The recent opening of a new cultural facility adjacent to Carnegie Library has seen Pittencrieff House fall out of use. A stone's throw away is the Laird's Garden and a couple of hothouses are open to the public.
I remember one time Nicole and I met inside the glasshouse for a guided bat walk. We saw precisely one winged warrior on a twilight tour through the Glen which at least gave us a nice view of the double arched bridge which many cross each day without realising the unusual architecture beneath their feet. Last month, I did the woodland walk in the bottom corner, following the burn with autumn colours ablaze all around me. The Glen is also full of squirrels but I've only ever seen the grey variety. Thankfully the reds are fairly common in other parts of Fife. The path took me by Wallace's Well, where the legendary Scottish leader is said to have held meetings in his late 13th century heyday. I walked under the double bridge then climbed the steps to Malcolm's Tower. The first written record of the tower appeared in 1070 but only the foundations remain today. Finishing up at the abbey, I was pleased to have finally visited this historically important part of Pittencrieff Park. I picked the perfect time of year with the leaves all hues of red and gold. Legend has it that Andrew Carnegie peered over the Pittencrieff Estate wall as a small boy and wondered why such a lovely part of town was not accessible to the masses.
I've been to several events in the Glen over the years. The Bruce Festival took place a few years ago and featured medieval displays and family-friendly activities. Unfortunately it didn't become a regular date on the calendar. Hopefully the Mary Queen of Scots Festival up the road in Kinross will become an annual celebration (particularly as the Loch Leven Brewery is just around the corner). Did someone mention beer? Dunfermline Rugby Club stage a charity ale festival every October in the Glen Pavilion and business is always brisk. I prefer the Saturday afternoon session as it's a quieter affair aimed at beer nerds rather than the party atmosphere which prevails at the ticketed evening slots. I've often felt Dunfermline doesn't make enough of its royal heritage. Foreign tourists lap this up and the chance to visit Robert the Bruce's grand tomb inside the modern abbey church is a big draw. Nicole still speaks about the light show we attended in abbey knave and grounds many years ago. I got a couple of free tickets at work and we went along to see if it was any good. The whole graveyard was sparkling as well as the various abbey buildings and it was an enchanting sight. I must check out the annual riverside light festival in Perth that is probably happening sometime soon.
The ancient parts of the abbey carry an admission charge and I have visited a couple of times. The knave is technically ticketed but there is no impediment to popping in for a wee look around. We have taken a few overseas guests into the present-day church where a small exhibition is sited around the resting place of Robert the Bruce. It's also pleasant to wander around the adjacent graveyard where William Wallace's mother is interred. The great man himself isn't buried here, or is he? We once attended a pilgrim-themed walk and the guide mused whether the remains of the legendary Scottish freedom fighter may indeed be present, swiftly adding that, if verified, the tour buses would be backed up as far as Glasgow. Another historic building in the vicinity is Abbot House, the oldest residential property in town. It is sadly closed at the moment due to wrangling over the lease. This is a great shame as the house featured a lovely café which was a popular lunch spot. A micro brewery was located in an outbuilding. House tours were run by volunteers and it seems silly that such an important part of Dunfermline's heritage stands vacant despite it's prime position - being nestled between the abbey and new museum. The beers were sold in the Abbot House gift shop and the whole affair points once again to Dunfermline underselling itself. You could mention this at the tourist office just around the corner. Oh, did I mention it was shut as well?
The Abbot House Brewery was run by a bloke called John Reid. I first encountered him when he delivered a lecture on local brewing history in the town library. Several of his ales were available to taste and it was an entertaining evening. I happened to be sitting next to a friendly chap called Kenny Broadbent. Afterwards, he enquired if I fancied joining him for a pint in the Commercial Inn. Unfortunately I had to decline as I was driving. I later found out Kenny was a prime mover in the Fife CAMRA (Campaign For Real Ale) branch. He sadly passed away a couple of years later. Now the Commercial is gone too. The premises stand empty and there has been no sign of a buyer. It was a great example of a traditional town alehouse. I stuck my head into the brewery one afternoon after work and got chatting to John. He took time to concisely explain the set-up and I enjoyed a pint of ale on a "donate what you think it's worth" basis - a convenient way of getting around the fact the premises were unlicensed. I went back on another occasion with Nicole's uncle in tow. He and his wife were visiting from eastern Germany and once again John was gracious with his time as I simultaneously translated for Gerald.
John's operation was unfortunately a casualty of the Abbot House closure and I think I read somewhere on Facebook he was toying with the idea of brewing in his garage. I bumped into him at a talk to promote a new walking trail called the Fife Pilgrim Way. Funny how ideas like local history, exploration and enjoying quality refreshment often come together. I often bought John's Pot Stirrer brew in Wetherspoons on the High Street, where it was permanently on tap as a locally sourced house ale. You could almost have pushed the cask 250 yards up the hill. I mentioned my appreciation of the produce to John and how it was nice to see his produce getting some welcome exposure. "I don't give it away for next to nothing" he said. His strategy was to tell the pub chain how much he wanted, full stop. Wetherspoons do get bashed for demanding heavy discounts to the point where there's not much left over for those who toil to brew the beer in the first place. In John's favour - he was literally just around the corner and Fife isn't exactly overflowing with microbreweries (although that is slowly changing). He could hold out for a little more cash and Wetherspoons got to flog a genuine Dunfermline ale.
There was formerly a bar and restaurant on Canmore Street - The Bruery - not only making its own beer but selling it to the exclusion of all other ales. A brave step to take. The De Brus microbrewery was located in the basement and churned out a handful of different styles in cask and bottle conditioned form. A couple of ciders to boot! They also ran the beer tent at the Bruce Festival where I particularly enjoyed their no-frills nut brown ale. The Bruery was aimed at the dining market but I dropped in for a couple of pints on occasion, usually after work. I once went for a cheeky swig prior to a works night out at Kushi's curry house along the road. The great thing about Kushi's is they permit you to bring your own beer with no corkage fee. We trooped back to the Bruery to round the night off and my colleague Richard asked whether I was familiar with the joint. Er, that would be a yes then. The Bruery later changed hands and became the Spider Beer Company. I didn't get the chance to check out the new venture before the premises folded. Sadly, Rueben's independent wine shop and café - which also stocked the De Brus range - is up for sale as well. It's a struggle for these places to survive in towns affected by a severe lack of footfall. STOP PRESS - I signed off at this point in the blog yesterday and awoke to news of the Commercial Inn reopening soon. Regular barman Andy Black is apparently taking over the reins. I'll drink to that!
The Fife Pilgrim Way is a new inland walking route through the Kingdom. 64 miles long, there are two coastal starting points - Culross and North Queensferry - which converge upon Dunfermline Abbey. From the ancient capital of Scotland, the trail winds its way to St Andrews - one of the most renowned pilgrim destinations in medieval Europe. Existing footpaths have been stitched together to approximate the passage pilgrims would have taken after crossing the Firth of Forth. The route has been deliberately threaded through a few former mining communities in order to give them a potential economic boost. Nicole and I haven't yet started our pilgrimage but plans are afoot. The promotional walk through historic Dunfermline ended at St Margaret's Memorial Church which contains a superb stained glass circular window dedicated to Scotland's only female saint and former queen. Hailing from Hungary, Margaret died in 1093 and was canonised 150 years later. She established the river crossing from which the towns of North and South Queensferry take their names. The service continued uninterrupted for 800 years until the opening of the Forth Road Bridge in 1964. The prize exhibit in St Margaret's Church is the shoulder bone relic displayed in a glass case at the altar.
Seven Scottish kings were laid to rest in Dunfermline Abbey although only Robert the Bruce has a visible grave today. The adjacent Royal Palace (now largely ruined) was a hive of court activity until usage declined following the Union of the Crowns. Charles I was the last monarch to stay in an official capacity back in 1650. His son - Charles II - was crowned King of Scots in Dunfermline. With such an extensive royal heritage, it's a pity the town can't siphon off a few more tourists from the cruise ships that periodically dock at Rosyth. The Andrew Carnegie factor is a big potential draw among Americans and his birthplace museum contains excellent displays about the great man's life and philanthropy. The original cottage of his youth has been preserved and visitors view this tiny building before proceeding into the main exhibition hall. The museum has been open to the public since 1928 and I've visited a handful of times over the years. The Carnegie Library is an old haunt of mine. I love browsing among the high wooden bookshelves. Kirkcaldy library had a similar layout but the traditional furnishings have been replaced by much lower units which presumably hold far less reading material. I always have a library book under my pillow. Being able to renew online and reserve from the entire Fife catalogue at the click of a button is indeed a bonus. I remember the days when you had to fill out postcards (and I think pay for the stamp) which informed you when your requested book was ready to collect. As stated at the beginning of the article, the original library has been extended to include a new museum that looks at local life over the centuries. My favourite exhibit is the huge TV display loop about the Forth bridges.
The library garden is located in the shadow of the abbey church. Note the wraparound "King Robert The Bruce" inscription on the tower. A mini-maze is a popular spot for the kiddies to play and the whole area is a nice place to relax on a warm day. I've been to a few events - mainly talks and films - in the new conference rooms and I hope to browse the map room sometime. Within the last few days, I've been corresponding with local archaeologist and historian Douglas Speirs about the case of Lilias Adie - the West Fife woman accused of witchcraft who was unceremoniously buried (or dumped) on the foreshore at Torryburn in 1704. Her story (covered in another blog post) is unique among those unfortunate ladies due to the exact location of her burial site being known. Douglas has dispatched a memory stick containing lots of electronic resources to enable me to research Lilias's story further, as well as material on local industrial history, in particular Sir Robert Preston and his grand Valleyfield estate. I look forward to receiving this information in the next day or two. It is fantastic to live in an age where so many historic documents and maps can be viewed online in the comfort of your own home, but the library itself probably contains many materials available only on site. No doubt you could spend the rest of your life learning about this famous old Fife town.
No review of Dunfermline would be complete without reference to the peacocks. Resident in the Glen since 1912, they have been granted freedom of the city and can sometimes even be seen strutting up and down the High Street! The population has varied over the years and was recently down to just one bird - the legendary Clive who lived to a grand old age and was frequently spotted going about his business. Following Clive's death, a breeding programme was launched and there are now around a dozen birds in total, including four chicks being raised in the aviary building. I dropped in to see them and found three white specimens and one Indian blue. Apparently they eat almost anything and these youngsters are particularly partial to cold spaghetti. A bit like me then!
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