Old Photograph Main Street Saline Fife Scotland

Old photograph of cottages, houses and people on Main Street in Saline, Fife, Scotland. Formerly a weaving centre, Saline was not much redeveloped during the 19th and 20th centuries as the expansion of industrial mining in west Fife largely passed it by. In the mid 1800s John Barrowman was the blacksmith in Saline. He was asked, by his friend and local farmer, Henry Irving, to design and make a plough that " would turn the soil right over " ’, thus halving the work of the ploughman. John produced the plough which proved very successful. By early 1840’s the Barrowman plough was in widespread use in the West Fife area. Demand for the plough was such that it attracted the attention of the Stirling firm of Drummond & Sons, nurserymen, seedsmen and pioneers of turnip development. They were so impressed that they took the plough to the Great Exhibition of 1851 at the Crystal Palace, London, England. Barrowman ploughs found their way all over the world. George Oliphant took his Barrowman plough with him when he emigrated to Argentina. Two other Barrowman ploughs were shipped to Christchurch, New Zealand. John died in 1860.

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