In Pictures: A look at the much-changed area of Dunfermline around Bothwell Street at the bottom of the New Row

The first old image shows the railway viaduct at time when the road to Woodmill ran on the other side of the bridge. The present road was constructed when the buildings pictured behind the car were demolished. Drivers exiting Woodmill Street on to what is now an extremely busy junction will envy the lack of traffic at that time.

Ian Ross points out some of the buildings that were later demolished: “To the centre top of the picture you can see Anderson and Pert’s joiners workshop with the tenements in Woodmill Street behind it.”

The next photograph is a view of the same area looking south with the gasworks visible in the distance.

Graham McDonald remembers the area well: “I was brought up in Brucefield Avenue in the ’40s so remember this area before this photo was taken. There were two bus stops. The one for buses going up the New Row was on a small island in front of the Co-op bakery. The other one for the buses going to the lower stance was on Bothwell Street next to Wallace Barbers shop where the bank is now. The original fish and chip shop was on the left of the photo past the bridge, along with a butchers, before you would come to the grounds of St Leonard's Church. It later moved over to where the Brig fish and chip shop is now. The big advertising billboards were where that road turning right is shown. There was a gap in them so you could walk through to Netherton and pass the buildings under the bridge. There was a cobblers shop there, as I remember being sent to get my shoes repaired. People took battery accumulators (for radios) to Thomsons to be recharged and there was a bicycle shop on the Netherton side. It was owned by Mr Greenwood, whose son, Jimmy, became one of Scotland’s best rugby players. He captained Scotland and played for the Lions. So many changes since my younger days.”

Carol Wyse also remembers some of the shops in that area: “I lived in Elliot Street in 1969 and went to the butchers and the bakers on my way home from my job in the finance department in Rosyth Dockyard. Happy days.”

Our next photograph shows work taking place on the road layout when the pub, The Brig Tavern, was still operating under the viaduct.

The final image is of the tenement blocks on Bothwell Street to the south of the railway viaduct around 1970. This row housed more than 36 families and was later demolished to allow the street to be widened. The Bank of Scotland now occupies part of the site today.

More photographs like these can be seen in Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries as well as at facebook.com/olddunfermline

With thanks to Frank Connelly