Tour Scotland Spring travel video of an April road trip drive, with Scottish music, on visit to Thornton in Fife. Thornton, Scots: Thorntoun, is located between Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes, and stands between the River Ore and Lochty Burn, which are at opposite ends of the main street. In 1957 the Rothes Pit was opened to mine the coal in the rural hinterland surrounding the village. This coal mine was tied very closely to the development of the new town of Glenrothes to the North. The planned long term benefits were to be huge, and were to be the driver for economic regeneration in central Fife. In 1961, 4 years after opening, the huge investment was written off and the mine run down because of unstoppable flooding. Ironically, miners who had worked in older deep pits in the area had forewarned against the development of the Rothes Pit for this very reason. During the first part of the 20th century, Thornton railway station was situated on the Aberdeen to London, England, main line to the east of the village, at the end of Station Road. To the west, alongside the Dunfermline line, was built the largest railway marshalling yard in Scotland during the 1950s. Though much reduced, this yard is still in use for rail freight services. Thornton Parish Church was built in 1834 as a chapel of ease for Markinch Parish Church.
Sir George Sharp, the first president of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, was one of the best known figures in public life in Scotland. Known for his incredible memory and razor sharp wit, Sir George was widely respected by all parties during his distinguished political career, which spanned five decades, in local government. A former railway fireman, he was born on April 8, 1919, in Thornton, Fife and lived their all his life, despite achieving great success in politics. In his homeland he is best remembered for leading the battle against local government reforms in 1975, for his efforts he was given the title, Mr Fife. First elected to Fife County Council in 1945, George held a range of major positions over the next 33 years. Between 1967 and 1978 he was chairman of Fife and Kinross Water Board; president of the Association of County Councils and chairman of Fife County Council, then first convenor of Fife Regional Council. In 1974, he was appointed to the Layfield Committee on Local Government Finance, and in 1975, the same year he became first president of CoSLA and vice president of the Scottish Council, he began a 14 year term as a director of Grampian television. Between 1976 and 1977, he was a member of the Scottish Council for the Queen's Silver Jubilee Appeal and in 1978 he embarked on an eight-year-run as chairman of Glenrothes Development Corporation and was appointed a member of the Royal Commission on Legal Services in Scotland. Even after his retiral, Sir George continued to serve Fife as its Deputy Lord Lieutenant. He earned the OBE in 1969 and was knighted seven years later for outstanding services. Sir George Sharp died on June 24, 2000.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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