The now demolished factory on the South East edge of the village was hidden from view but could be glimpsed on approaching from the east. Now gone. I think is a shame but there was no real affection for the place. This was a telephoto shot from the Newton. Just look at it!
A pitch to Historic Scotland to have the core area listed fell on floor cloth ears so a bit of our history and architecture has gone. To me it was a powerful reminder of the village’s weaving tradition and development into and beyond the industrial revolution. Steam power was a disruptive technology that brought mass production and a radical change to the working lives of several generations of villagers.
While the palace is rightfully a jewel in our Scottish heritage, maybe the factory had an important if lesser contribution. It was likely to have affected more lives I think. Anyway some of these shots show an interesting juxtaposition of architectures.
This is a pdf of the submission sent to Historic Scotland asking for a listing. SH Listing App Smith Anderson St John’s Works, Falkland, Fife _20130529_Possibly a bit dramatic but Falkland was for a time contributing to the world output of floor cloth and then linoleum. This is their considered response HS-Response-20130801.pdf
Meanwhile the Temple of Contemplation which lies between the Maspie (Yadd) Waterfall and the Tyndal Bruce Monument is worth a hike. I’ll do a map for you. I see that there is an application in to restore it. £600k for a full makeover that may then pose a fantastic challenge to the next generation of casual vandals.
