Harbour Place : many of these buildings are gone, but the George Hotel (centre) survives under a new name.  This photograph dates from around the turn of the century, when Burntisland was still a thriving port.

Tenements in East Leven Street, again from about 1900.  Some of my ancestors lived in this street at various times, and many of these buildings still survive, although they have been greatly modernised.

Rossend Castle from the harbour.  This building originally dates from before 1382.  I grew up less than 100 yards from the castle, and Dad's family lived in Rossend Terrace close to here for many years.

Ferguson Place, with Burntisland School on the left hand side, built in 1876.  Generations of Brands received their education here, and it still serves as a primary school today. 

Looking down Kirkgate from St. Columba's, (now the Parish Church), towards the High Street.

View west from the Links towards the East Port, at the eastern end of the High Street.

The Round House (right) was built by the North British Railway Company. Here they built, repaired and fitted engines, carriages and wagons.  Many of the Brand family were employed from the 1840's onwards by North British Railways, and some of them must have worked here at some point. Unfortunately the building was demolished in 1935, though it is still possible to discern where it stood between the docks and shipyard.

Looking towards the Binn from the allotments on the Haugh Road in 1956. My father had an allotment here for many years, but the site now has houses built on it.

A ship tied up dockside in 1956. Dad worked here for 30 years after leaving the shipyard.

The dock cranes from Forth Place in 1955. This was the view out of the window of my parent's home in Forth Place.

The back road to Kinghorn in 1956. This view has not changed much over the years.

The "Dispatcher" leaves the slips at Burntisland Shipyard in July 1953.  A bauxite carrier of 8,000 tons, she was built for an American company.  My father was working in the shipyard as a "red leader" at this time (applying anti-rust lead paint to the hull), and my mother took the photograph on the right, so I assume he was involved in her building.

The shipyard launched her last vessel in 1969, but the name lives on in the "Burntisland Shippie" football team, and the yard still produces modules for the off-shore oil industry today. During WW2, dual-purpose ships were built, bulk grain carriers which doubled as aircraft carriers, like the "Empire MacKendrick", a model of which is in the local museum.

A general view of the docks looking north towards St. Columba's Church (the bell tower is clearly visible) and the Binn. This photograph dates from 1955, and was taken by my mother. She and Dad lived at No. 2 Forth Place for 4 years after they were married, then moved to 16 Shepherd Crescent in 1958.

The "William Muir", above, was well known in the town, running the ferry service to Granton (Edinburgh's port at Leith) until she was scrapped in 1937.  A paddle steamer, she was refitted in 1910 and had only one funnel after that.  The slipway on the left of the picture was built at the time of the institution of the rail ferry in 1850, and still exists, as does the small booking office. For some years in the early 1990's a ferry service was reinstated between Burntisland and Leith, but unfortunately this no longer runs. This one's for Kate!