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Methil

Rent a Self Catering Cottage in Methil, Fife, Scotland. This spacious, traditional double upper apartment with an enclosed, sheltered garden, is an ideal base for exploring the Ancient Kingdom of Fife.
Although
Methil's history stretches back for many centuries the town only
really came to prominence towards 1900. It was at this time that
the first dock was built at Methil and many of the local pits
were sunk, most notably the Wellesley, which stood on the site
of the present oilrig construction yard. The sudden influx of
mining families from all over Scotland during the first half of
this century made Methil the 'melting pot of Fife. Different religions,
cultures and nationalities mixed together giving the town a fairly
unique identity. This, added to the speed at which the town grew
and the presence of the docks inevitably led to conflict (usually
on a Saturday night) and Methil gained an unenviable reputation
as rough place, full of fighting miners and drunken sailors and
with a prostitution problem which rivaled the bigger ports of
Dundee and Leith. Although there were problems many of the stories
were exaggerated. Methil was also one of the busiest shopping
areas in Fife. The High Street in Lower Methil once bustled with
activity and many traveled from all over Scotland to visit the
Wonderstore - a huge department store which took up a large part
of the high street.
The
area now defined as Levenmouth is a relatively new creation. The
towns and villages of Buckhaven, Methil, Leven, Methilhill, East
Wemyss, Kennoway and Windygates were once completely independent
of each other with very different histories and communities. Periods
of housing development during the end of the last century, the
1920s and again in the 1950s caused many of these villages to
swell and merge into each other until today it is difficult to
say where one town stops and the other begins. However, visitors
beware! Strong community identities still exist.
If
you would like to visit this area as part of a highly personalized
small group tour of my native Scotland please e-mail me:
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to Fife
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