Tour Scotland Video Of Old Photographs Of Lower Largo East Neuk of Fife

Tour Scotland travel Blog video of old photographs of Lower Largo, East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. Lower Largo or Seatown of Largo is a village situated on Largo Bay along the north side of the coast of the Firth of Forth. This ancient Scottish coastal village has gained fame as the 1676 birthplace of Alexander Selkirk, the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. Alexander Selkirk, born 1676, died 13 December 1721, was a Scottish privateer and Royal Navy officer who spent more than four years as a castaway, from 1704 to 1709, after being marooned by his captain on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific Ocean. He survived that ordeal, but succumbed to tropical illness a dozen years later while serving aboard HMS Weymouth off West Africa. The arrival of the now closed railway in 1856 brought many tourists to Lower Largo's sandy beach. In 1867, the Cardy Net Works was built by David Gillies. At its height it had thirty three machines and employed sixty to seventy people most of whom had been hand loom weavers. The net factory was in production for less than twenty years before closing in 1886. Also in 1886 seven local fishermen lost their lives while fishing. The men were the crew of the " Brothers " fishing boat, skippered by Samuel Gillies. They had set off on 29th March 1886, along with six other deep sea fishing boats, and had been due to return on 31st. However, on 30th March, about 50 miles east of May Isle, they were caught in a squall.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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