Going, going GONE!
Siew Peng Lee • Published 14 Aug 2012 16:45
4 Comments
A SUDDEN boom ... and two Inverkeithing icons were reduced to rubble at the weekend.
The two chimneys of the derelict Caldwell's Paper Mill, which have been part of the town's skyline for nearly a century, were blown up at 10am on Sunday.
Hundreds of residents gathered at Ballast Bank, the Friary Gardens and Cruickness Road to watch the industrial landmarks come down.
The mill was originally built in 1914 but closed in 2003 with a loss of 150 jobs. It had been a vandalism hotspot and suffered several fires.
Rusty Wilson, Paul Nicol, Brandon Brown and Charlotte Lumsden were given the honour of pressing the button that blasted the lums.
They had won a competition run by The Keithing, the town's community newsletter, in conjunction with demolition firm Dem-Master, which is dismantling the site.
Mr Wilson (74), of Tobey Road, Rosyth, has a strong family connection with the mill - his dad worked there for 51 years, and he was employed as a maintenance engineer for 49 years before before retiring in 2003, just a few months before it shut.
He said, "I was quite overwhelmed to be chosen, I never expected to be picked.
"I worked there all that time and to be one of the people who pressed the button that knocked it down was quite emotional.
"I never thought I would live to see it shut down and demolished. A lot of people are very sad to see it go, especially the older folks.
"I met an awful lot of nice people working there and there was always a family atmosphere.
"There were a lot of people who spent their working lives there - it was the main employer and at one time you could hardly meet a family in Inverkeithing that didn't have someone working there.
"I took a brick away and it's now sitting in my garden."
The competition, featured in the Press, had attracted 93 entries, and organiser Angela Morrison said, "It was a very good response especially as people were away on holiday but the feeling I got was a lot of people didn't enter because they didn't want the chimneys to come down and couldn't bear to press the button.
"There was a real sense of excitement, which was palpable, but also a sense of loss when they came down. It was a familiar sight for generations.
"Everyone will hope it's not going to be left derelict but put to good use for the community, like housing, and something that will reflect the history of the site."
The chimneys' bricks are expected to be recycled by community groups for projects and planters around the town.
Have your say. Post a comment on this article.
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itsallwentpetetong2012
145 posts
Aug 15, 15:28
Report commentWhat they going to build in its place ! More Houses
Recommend?
Yes 2
No 2
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itsallwentpetetong2012
145 posts
Aug 15, 17:56
Report commentWhat they going to built in its place ! More Houses
Recommend? Yes 1
No 2
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DrewCarnegie
65 posts
Aug 15, 21:03
Report commentNow they just have to knock down the rest of Inverkeithing to make it a nice town
Recommend? Yes 10
No 10
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SmarmyGit
319 posts
Aug 16, 13:33
Report comment^^^ yay, well done, bet no-one else thought of that comment...........give Drew a round of applause!
Recommend? Yes 4
No 6
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