The photographs in this week’s trip down West Fife’s Memory Lane look at the area at the foot of the town that used be known as East Nethertown.

The first photograph shows the junction of East Nethertown and Bothwell Place around 1970 taken from the viaduct carrying the railway line. The road on the left going uphill is the New Row.

James Archibald remembers the area: “I lived in Bothwell Street in the 1940s with my Gran and Grandad Waddell, then moved up to the other side of the bridges to an attic above a cobbler’s shop.

Dunfermline Press: East Nethertown view towards Brig chip shop.East Nethertown view towards Brig chip shop. (Image: Community contributor)

"Across the street from my Dad’s family lived the Archibalds. Their house was next to the bridge with a shop under the bridge that used to fill Wireless Accumulator bottles and had carbon bottles with acid and others with distilled water.

"In this area on the corner was a bicycle shop called Greenwood’s – their son played rugby for Scotland. My Grandad would walk to the Brig Tavern for his beer – also my Dad worked there. There have been a lot of changes since then.”

The next image shows the same area from a different angle with the shop that is now the ‘Brig Fish and Chip Bar’ visible in the distance and the Nethertown Institute just beyond it.

A lot of the housing has since been demolished.

In the next image Mick Reilly recalls a mix-up when carrying out some work on one of the buildings before they were removed: “Back in the late 50s I remember going with my dad, a brickie, to remove a fireplace from one of the upstairs room in one of those houses. Halfway through the job a couple of blokes came in demanding what he was up to. Good old dad... wrong house! I think they were actually flats and not houses because we went up a stone staircase to the entry door.”

Dunfermline Press: Brig Tavern.Brig Tavern. (Image: Community contributor)

An extract from an anecdotal history of the Auld Grey Toun recalls how busy this area once was: “There was a general shop on nearly every corner. Arthurs shop was on the north corner of a T-junction at New Row, Davidsons were on the corner of Woodmill Street and the east side of New Row. Opposite Arthurs was the Brig Tavern and 50 yards away was Haldane, licensed grocer, later Westwoods. Further west was Bowie Butchers and next door to that Sutherlands Brig Cafe. It later became Keddies, Tony Corrier's and then Gerry's.

"A little further south was Pete Corrieri's chip shop. Behind it was Cunningham Upholsterer and behind that again Anderson and Pert joiners, Film Transport Services, Yates Creamery Butter and Stewarts the Cobblers".

Dunfermline Press: The viaduct approaching from the west.The viaduct approaching from the west. (Image: Community contributor)

Our next photograph shows the Brig Tavern that once stood in this area.

The final photograph is of the area as seen approaching from the west. At this time Woodmill Street was accessed on the north side of the bridge before it was later realigned.

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