Old Photographs West Wemyss Fife Scotland

Tour Scotland wee video of old photographs of West Wemyss a village lying on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, in Fife. The village began as a settlement around the site of Wemyss Castle which developed into a centre for the salt industry in the area. A harbour was later built in 1621 by the Wemyss family for the use of coal exportation from the pits on the lands of their estate. The harbour would become a major export point for coal by the late 17th century. The ships brought back imports of wood, iron and flax from the Baltic Countries. A wet dock was added for the increased demand of the coal in the late 1870s. Towards the latter stages of the 19th century, the village found itself surrounded by several mines, such as the Michael Pit in nearby East Wemyss. The industry, which saw trade with England and The Low Countries, started to struggle once the new docks were opened in Methil further along the Fife coast. Gradually, the demand for the harbour began to fall and it went into decline.The money for St Adrian's Kirk, church building was donated by the Wemyss family to provide a place of worship for the villagers of West Wemyss. The Church of Scotland acquired the property, but decided to close it in the 1960s because of the cost of much needed repairs. However, it was bought by Captain Michael Wemyss in 1972, who funded the repairs and established the Wemyss Trust; the Trustees undertook to maintain the fabric " for as long as there is a worshipping community ". In 1973 the congregations of St Adrian’s and St George’s in East Wemyss, amalgamated as Wemyss Parish Church, and were joined in the early 1980s by St Mary's by the sea. But in 2008 the decision was taken to close St George’s, and St Adrian’s once again became the parish church. Then in 2008 it was united with Buckhaven Parish Church, and at the present time is part of Buckhaven and Wemyss Parish Church All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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