Burntisland Heritage Walk 2 Multi-Cache

Park at the above coordinates and from parking walk north towards the War Memorial (Hubblegardner has a cache here if you haven’t done it already).
Then proceed up Cromwell Road taking the second road on the left to the first set of coordinates.

1) As you walk up the steps to the Broomhill viewpoint what name is written on one of the steps? M_____ p_______
How many letters are in both words? =A

BroomHill Viewpoint N56 03.612 W003 13.963

This viewpoint was kindly erected by the Burntisland and Kinghorn Rotary club.
There was once a school up here which closed in 1962 and was demolished around 1971.

2)How many times does the word `hill` or `hills` appear on the ground inscription? = B

3)From magnetic North in a clockwise direction, how many letters are in the sixth name? = C

4) How many boulders are there in the seating area? = D

Now head East back down the steps the way you came and head for the next coordinates.

Grayforth House N56 03.685 W003 13.835

This is the back (you will see the front later) of Grayforth House which is now a nursing home for the elderly.
This building was originally built as a manse which is the residence of a minister of religion.
5) How many chimney pot’s in total are there on Grayforth House? = E

Now head to the next coordinates.

Water Monument N56 03.724 W003 13.731

I couldn’t find out much about this other than what is written on it.

6) What is the date at the bottom of the stone plaque? 180? = F

Now walk along this road (Craigkennochie Terrace) where you will reach the next coordinates. These houses all formed part of the New Town which started to be built in the early 19th century.
William Dick, who founded the Royal (Dick) school of Veterinary Studies, used to live at No 27 Craigkennochie Terrace.

Erskine Church N56 03.3777 W003 13.487
The Erskine church dominates the north side of the links. It replaced the 1743 church which stood where the public library stands now.
It is very much used by the towns people and school.

You will see two dates.
7) What is the third digit of the first date? 17?8 = G

8) What is the fourth digit of the second date? 198? =H

Now head north up James Park.

Burntisland Primary School N56 03.832 W003 13.639

The first building to be erected on the Ferguson place site was the new burgh school, which opened in 1876 with Mr David Low as its headmaster.
A second building was added to the school in 1901 and a third building was added to the rear of the site in 1928.
The 1901 building ( which is the eastern building facing Ferguson place) and the 1928 building still exist in their original form. The 1876 building was almost completely destroyed by fire in 1913.It was speedily rebuilt and significantly improved at the same time.
The 1901, 1913 and 1928 buildings are still in use. It is not clear how much of the 1876 building was retained in the 1913 development, but the western single story parts between the janitor’s house and the main building appear to be much the same as they were before the fire.
There is now also a nursery building at the back of the building.
A proposed £3m redevelopment of the school buildings has been put on hold, pending an examination of the possibility of building a completely new school as classrooms are stretched due to the new housing in Burntisland.

9) What word is embedded in stone above the blue door at the front of the building?
How many letters are in the answer? = I

Continue along this road to the church on the corner.

St. Serfs Church N56 03.810 W003 13.726

George Hay Forbes (as you have probably heard of if you have done my other multi in Burntisland) was ordained in May 1848, and a few months later he was despatched to Burntisland by the Bishop of St. Andrews.
Forbes mission was to revive the Episcopal church in Burntisland.
He devised a plan for an extremely ambitious church complex, in East Leven street, comprising of a home, the Parsonage (as mentioned in my other cache), a school, and a church so grand that it would have dwarfed many a cathedral.
Keen to press on with his grand design he first built the Parsonage- his home and working premises where he set up a printing press.
The school was built in 1854 ,which is now the pipe band hall.
Forbes finally started the new church in 1855.Progress was slow but, if he ran out of money, he would resort to cutting stones himself.
Sadly, despite his efforts, only the baptistery of the church was ever completed.
George Hay Forbes died on the 7th November 1875 and the congregation acquired the site of the now St. Serfs church. But 20 years would pass before they could afford to erect a permanent building. Until 1905 they worshipped in a temporary building, affectionately known as `The Tin Church`.
The struggle to raise the funds for the new church suffered a major setback with the simultaneous disappearance of one of the priests and the contents of the building fund. It was left to his successor, the Rev Henry Hardy, to pick up the pieces and revive the demoralised congregation. He set to with a will, and in his time fresh funds were raised, the new church was built and a rectory purchased. The inaugural service in the new church was held on the 1st of June 1905.
Sadly the small part of the church that George Hay Forbes had completed was later dismantled after his death, but the materials found a new role in the construction of St. Margaret’s in Leven.

11) How many shields are there on the sign but do not count the centre one? = J

12) What is the year mentioned on the stone plaque? 19?4 = k

Now walk south back down Cromwell road to the War Memorial.
Cromwell Road was named after Oliver Cromwell’s invasion of the town in the 1650’s.
This road was later considered a very fashionable place to live. In the 1950’s two of the town’s General Practitioners Dr’s Smith and Dr McCracken had their grand houses-cum-surgeries on this road. One being the now B&B the other next door.
You will also now see Grayforth House (the former manse) from the front.
At the bottom of Cromwell Road turn left onto the Kinghorn road.
On your way to the next coordinates you will pass the `Inchview Hotel` which used to be a school.
You will also pass Thomas Chalmers house, who was the leader of the 1843 Disruption of the church of Scotland and founder of the free church of Scotland. He lived at 85 Kinghorn Road which is pillared, with a plaque.

Across the road the green you see is known as `The Links`
The Links were gifted to the townspeople by King James V in June 1541in exchange for the rights to Burntisland harbour.
Over the years they have served for the drying of fishing nets and clothes, the grazing of livestock, and recreation.
In 1652 the first ever games event took place along the East Port by the links. They didn’t have the games as we know them now but they did have a horse race instituted by the town council during Cromwell’s occupation, to be run from the East Port to Pettycur. The winner receiving a silver cup of 10 ounces in weight.
The race was kept up till about the year 1812.
This racing event evolved into the now Burntisland Highland games.
On every third Monday of July Burntisland hosts these very games. These games are the second oldest Highland games in the world.
Depending on the weather, between 30,000 and 50,000 people visit the town on games day or market day as it is also known.
From late May to late August the Links is also home to the annual visiting funfair. This again is an old tradition of Burntisland although the show’s were very different then with circus animals and Buffalo Bill’s famous act.
The Links was also once home to the Burntisland Golf Club, which was founded in 1797, the 11th oldest in Scotland. The course consisted of 15 holes. The club history mentions that Burntisland was the first club to use coloured balls for winter play. In 1874, in the Christmas competition, the hardy members decided to brave the snow using red coloured golf balls.
Later the town’s Links suffered the same problem of all golf courses on common land, namely that it became congested.
The Burntisland club decided to move to Dodhead on the north east of the town where it is still in use today. The only golf connections left at the Links are the crazy golf green and the Golf Tavern pub.
At one time there was also a miniature railway on the Links which ran along side of the railway line.
As you can see people have spent many enjoyable hours at the links but some have not.
Being a port, Burntisland was vulnerable to the frequent plague epidemics of the 16th and 17th centuries. At he first hint of trouble, the authorities would immediately close the ports on the Fife coast, and this prompt action certainly helped to control the spread of the disease.
Nevertheless, there were outbreaks of plague recorded in Burntisland in 1574 and again in 1602.
Poor person’s when attacked, were taken from their own houses to `lodges` which were erected on the south side of the links. If they appeared to be recovering, they were removed to lodges on the north side and there they remained until they were free from the disease. Others were simply shut in their houses and their doors were nailed up!

In the mid-eighteenth century the Links was used as a military base by 3,000 Hessian troops.

On the 15th of April 1914 the Flying Scotsman passenger service collided with a Carlisle and Dundee goods train just outside the station in the early hours of the morning, killing the driver and fireman and injuring twelve passengers, four seriously.
The huge 120-ton locomotive, and tender of the passenger train, deflected by the impact, left the metals, ripped its way across the permanent way, and leaped clear of the rail-bed far out on to the Links, razing the parapet and dragging with it four of the vehicles.
About sixty yards ahead of the point at which it had left the metals, the great engine lay on its side, a wreck, half-buried in the sand into which it had driven. The terrific impact of the mighty engine plunging into the sands of the Links shook the buildings in the neighbourhood, and the crash of the telescoping carriages as these were piled up in a terrible scene of wreckage brought the townspeople from their beds with all speed, and in a few moments hundreds of people were upon the scene.

In 1983 the Links and nearby streetscapes were designated a Conservation Area.

The Bowling Green N56 03.811 W003 13.348

12) What is the date on the Bowling house?
Now add all the numerals of the date together = L

Now cross the road and head down Lochies Road which has the Burntisland Sands Hotel on the corner where they serve delicious meals.
Lochies Pier N56 03.768 W003 13.222

Take a walk along the remains of the old pier which gives great views of the forth.
The pier was made from limestone hence the name `The old limestone pier`

At the end of the pier look west

13) What bright colour is the life guards box?

THE LIFEGUARD BOX IS NO LONGER HERE SO THE ANSWER YOU NEED IS YELLOW 14) How many letters are there in the answer? = M

Now follow the path west and you will pass a veranderd house. This was the old Tea Rooms.

Tea Rooms N56 03.775 W003 279

The old Tea Rooms is now a private house but was once a place of hustle and bustle with people stopping off and having a nice cup of tea and a cake while at the beach for the day, or queues of little one’s waiting for their sweet’s and ice-cream’s.
You can just picture the ladies sat out on the veranda enjoying their afternoon tea and the view in their long Edwardian attire.
The B- Listed Tea Room was built in 1890, and it remained open until 1975.
New owner’s reopened it in the late eighties, but only operated it for a couple of years as sadly the burger vans hit the town, at one point 38 vans in total were counted!

15) How many roof support posts are there on the veranda? = N

Now carry on walking along the promenade but as you do, count the seats as you go. Only count the ones along the wall though.

16) How many seats are there along the promenade wall? THE ANSWER IS GIVEN IN THE BRACKETS AT THE END AS THE NUMBER OF SEATS CHANGES REGULARLY.

17)

The Beach

Burntisland beach has once again been awarded a blue flag.
People have been coming to Burntisland beach for many years. It was once a well known holiday and day trip destination. Holiday goers and day trippers would come over on the ferry which once ran from Granton in Edinburgh, and of course when the railway was built people came from all over to visit the town.
There was lot’s of entertainment laid on for the visitors including regular sand castle competitions, which at one point police were called in to control the crowds of people on the beach.
Before the Burntisland bathing pool was opened (which is now the Beacon site) this area was home to the Beach Pavilion and its various acts.
One of the best known entertainers was Fred Collins, his players for that particular season including Hugh Rodger, Sam Thomson and Ella Gold.
Thomson was known as a great comedian.
In later years these popular troupes were joined by the Burntisland Orchestra organised by Thomas McAughey in 1924.
For many years pleasure boats operated from Burntisland beach, taking visitors on a round trip to the Black Rock. The best known boat in the late 1950’s and 1960’s was the white painted `Minerva`, operated by a Mr J Vallance. It was joined from time to time by three other vessels, each painted blue, called the Stardust, Stardrift, and Speedwell. There were movable gangplanks to allow the boats to operate at different states of the tides.
It was also possible to hire rowing boats, but today’s Health and Safety would not approve of their lack of life jackets for the participants.
As you are walking along you will notice the Beacon pool (already mentioned).
Originally there was a red brick outdoor sea-water bathing pool sited here.
It was one of the largest outdoor pools in Scotland with room for at least 2,000 spectators. By the 1960’s plans were made to make it more attractive to the public by heating it. As an amenity it was run at a loss. The pool closed in 1979, slowly deteriorating into a local eyesore over the next decade. In 1990 it was demolished, and replaced eventually by the Beacon Leisure Centre.
To the right of the Beacon was the site of the railway Roundhouse which closed in 1890 and then was demolished.

From the promenade walk in a south westerly direction over some waste ground. Mind the wire at ankle height.
This will take you to the Harbour.

The Harbour & The Green Isle N56 03.409 W003 14.012

Burntisland’s harbour otherwise known as `Port of Grace` was first developed by James V in the mid-sixteenth century. He built docks to complement its natural advantages of size, depth and shelter and created a port where naval ships were cleaned and repaired at low tide. Trade also developed rapidly, cod, oysters, lambskins and salt being just a few of the goods exported from Burntisland in the latter half of that century. Imports included beer, wine and sugar from countries as diverse as Poland, Portugal and Holland. Particularly high taxation in the late 1600’s- as much as three pounds on a gallon of brandy-put paid to the trade boom.
The harbour was busy again thanks to the herring curing industry established in 1793. This prospered in Burntisland over the next decade, its eight curing establishments employing hundreds of people. The curers, mostly women, had one of the hardest jobs, working in the cold and rain, gutting and salting the fish as it was brought in, sometimes for as long as fifteen hours a day. Fish would go off if it wasn’t cured as it was caught.

Dramatic redevelopment came in the 1870’s as Burntisland attempted to corner Fife’s coal export market. From 1872-1876 work was done on splitting the harbour into two sections which stand today. Whereas the inner harbour was still dry at low tide, the wet dock could be accessed at all times, meaning that coal was less likely to languish stockpiled, waiting for the tide. Unfortunately, Methil Docks, built in 1888, proceeded to steal much of Burntisland’s export trade on account of its being much closer to the East Fife coalfields. A second wet dock built at Burntisland Harbour in 1901 failed to reverse this trend and by the end of the Second World War the town’s coal exports were negligible.

Until the late nineteenth century the only means of crossing the Forth was by boat.
After the building of the Prince Albert Pier, the town acquired the Burntisland- Granton route, worked by ships such as `Auld Reekie` and `Express`. Irreparable damage to the trade was done in 1890, with the opening of the Forth rail Bridge, although ferries continued to run regularly until the beginning of World War 11. John Hall of Kirkcaldy tried to revive the service in the late forties but found that he failed. Forth ferries last attempt in 1951 operated for less than a year, `Bonnie Prince Charlie`, `Glenfinnan`, `Flora Macdonald` and `Eriskay` all proved completely unsuitable for the strong tides of the Forth.
There is plans ongoing at the moment to bring back the ferry crossing as soon as next year to relieve the congestion on the bridge.

Burntisland’s shipbuilding industry was intermittent for centuries, dependent on the fortunes of related concerns such as fishing and trade.
It wasn’t until the Ayres family opened their yard in 1918 that shipbuilding became a major employer in Burntisland. The western side of the harbour was infilled stage by stage to accommodate it.
`Burntisland built` became a stamp of quality and the yard was able to survive even the Depression of the thirties, when it produced economy cargo ships. During the Second World War the yard specialised in frigates (named after Scottish lochs) and aircraft carriers. Even as late as the sixties the company still appeared to be successful, winning a contract in 1963 which allowed it to double it’s work-force to 800.
Between 1918 and 1969 310 ships were built at the Burntisland Shipyard.
The shipyard site is now occupied by Burntisland Fabrications Ltd.

In 1849 ENR’S new manager, Thomas Bouch (famous for designing the ill fated Tay bridge which later collapsed, hence giving the name `a bouch job`) put forward the idea of a `floating railway` to transport wagons across the Forth using specially converted ferries. The service, the first of it’s kind in the world, began in 1850 and by 1858 the `Leviathan` was transporting 25 waggon -loads of cargo per crossing.
The floating railway continued until it was superseded by the Forth rail bridge in 1890.

Before the harbour was infilled for the shipyard there was a little island just off south of the mainland and it was known as `The Green Isle`.
Back in 1621 John Brown set sail for Ireland with a cargo of salt, and then from Ireland to northern Spain laden with salmon. In Spain, Brown’s ship was chartered by a local merchants to carry a mixed cargo of walnuts, chestnut’s and iron to Cadiz on the southern coast of the country. The crew of nine were joined by three young Spaniards, who were to take over the responsibility for the cargo on arrival in Cadiz.
The Brown’s, Dowie and Duff hatched a plot to steal the cargo. Three days into the voyage they murdered the three Spaniards, and flung their bodies into the sea. They then set course for Holland, where they sold the nuts. They took the iron home to Burntisland and sold it there. Off they sailed again, this time on legitimate business.
It took the authorities three years to catch up with them. The ringleaders , John and Robert Brown, David Dowie and Robert Duff, were tried at Edinburgh on charges of `murder under trust, masterful theft, robbery with violence, and piracy. They were found guilty and were taken to the Market Cross in Edinburgh, hanged and beheaded. The heads of John Brown and Robert Brown were taken to Burntisland and impaled on iron poles at the Green Island for all to see, a gruesome warning to the seamen of Burntisland and passers by of the penalty for piracy and mass murder. The heads of Dowie and Duff were displayed at Leith.

18) What is the load that the crane must not exceed to? UNFORTUNATLEY THESE CRANES ARE NO LONGER HERE ASTHEY WERE DISMANTLED A FEW MONTHS BACK THE ANSWER YOU NEED IS 10 = P

Burntisland railway station dates from 1847, when the Burntisland to Cupar section of the Edinburgh and Northern railway opened. The Cupar to Ferry-Port-on-craig section was opened the following year, completing the trans-Fife connection between the principle Forth and Tay ferries.
The railway station had a relatively short life span in its original manifestation as an important terminus. In 1890, on the opening of the Forth bridge, it was replaced by a decidedly modest and undistinguished through station on the adjoining site to the north. The station still serves the town.
With the possibility of a replacement to the east having recently been debated and rejected, it will be with us for the foreseeable future.
Although I am sure you will agree it needs a makeover!
A great deal of regeneration could be done in this area to make it much more of a focal point to the town.

As you are leaving the dock gates take note of the view of Rossend Castle (N56 03.417 W003 14.140) which was built in 1250.
You will come out in Forth Place and you will pass the Shore Dues Office, the sign can just be made out in the stone work.
Continue north down into Harbour Place where there are some old buildings with 17th century features.
The island in front of the bus shelter was where the old Tolbooth stood.

William Bald Plaque N56 03.514 W003 14.222
William Bald was born in Burntisland and was a pioneering cartographer, surveyor and civil engineer in Scotland and in Ireland.
19) What was the name of the coast road William Bald designed and built?
20) How many letters are in the answer? = Q

Carry on under the railway bridge along past the shipyard to Burntisland Fabrications.
This walkway is known as `Sailors Walk`.
Go up the steps at N56 03.498 W003 14.471
When you reach the top of the steps go through the doorway, where you will now be in what is known as `Monks Walk`
This path was regularly used by the monks from Dunfermline who stayed at Rossend castle before going over to Inchcolm Abbey.
Follow the path round to the west. The path can be muddy at times.

Monks Walk Viewpoint N56 03.496 W003 14.700

From here you can see Burntisland Fabrications at work. They now occupy the site of the former Shipyard.
Here they repair and maintain buoys for the various shipping lanes.
21) What colour is the bench at the viewpoint?
22) How many letter’s are there in your answer? = R
Now take a seat and work out the final cache coordinates.

N (A-C) (B+E-D).(K+Q-R) (M-G).(L-P-I) (6) (H+K)
W KKG (N-M) (J-G).(H-C) (J+N-C) (L-A)

After locating the cache, continue walking in an easterly direction along the road and you will come out back down by the Links for the car park.