There will be a lecture in Fire Station Creative on Sunday, February 19, about one of three extremely talented siblings in the Paton family who lived in ‘Wooers Alley Cottage’ close to where the perimeter of Tesco Fire Station is today.

Amelia Robertson Hill (nee Paton) was a sculptress who created the Robert Burns statue in Dumfries and the statue of explorer David Livingstone in Princes Street Gardens under the Scott Monument.

She lived with her two brothers, Sir Joseph Noel Paton, who was Queen Victoria’s painter, and Waller Hugh Paton, a distinguished watercolourist.

Our first image in this week’s trip down West Fife’s Memory Lane is of ‘Wooers Alley Cottage’ and is based on a painting by Waller Hugh Paton.

The cottage was opened to the public in the 1850s as a museum by the sibling’s father Joseph Neil Paton, himself a celebrated damask designer, who was a passionate collector of Scottish artefacts.

On display in the museum were items such as a table once belonging to King Robert the Bruce and furniture from Dunfermline Palace.

In an article in the Kinross Advertiser in 1912 two items are mentioned: ‘Two interesting specimens of old Scottish furniture have been presented to the Royal Scottish Museum. One is the cradle of Mary Queen of Scots and the other the bed of her son King James V1. The cradle seems to have remained in Royal quarters till a great part of Linlithgow Palace was destroyed by fire. It was then rescued from the flames by a native of the town and remained thereafter in the possession of his family. Mr Joseph Paton, of Wooers Alley, Dunfermline, an enthusiastic collector of of Scottish historical relics, having got wind of the whereabouts of the cradle managed to secure it. The bed is from Dunfermline Palace.’

The cottage was demolished in the 1920s and the area that was once described by Victorian essayist John Ruskin on a visit to the cottage as an “airthly paradise” is now overgrown and neglected.

The Fifeshire Journal in 1874 reported on what had happened to all of the museum exhibits: ‘All of the very valuable collection of Scotch antiques, furniture, ancient armour, old china, antique jewellery, watches and pictures formed by the late Mr Paton of Wooers Alley during the last fifty years will be sold at No 11 Hanover Street Edinburgh. This unique and interesting collection will be found of great historical and antiquarian importance.’

Our next photograph is of the area above Wooers Alley. Tesco’s store now occupies the area to the right of the road that was called Damside Street, and Wooers Alley Cottage was situated in the wooded area on the left of the photograph.

Our final image is of St Margarets Cave which was situated close to Wooers Alley Cottage

An exhibition about the Patons is currently on display in Fire Station Creative until February 26. Tickets for the lecture on Amelia are on sale in Fire Station Creative priced £5. as well as online.

More images like these can be seen in Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries.

With thanks to Frank Connelly.