St Monans
| St Monans | |
|---|---|
 St Monans (west end of harbour) | |
  St Monans Location withinFife | |
| Population | 1,130 (2022)[1] |
| OS grid reference | NO524017 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Anstruther |
| Postcode district | KY10 |
| Dialling code | 01333 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
St Monans(/ˈmoʊnənz/,locally/ˈsɪmənənz/),[2]sometimes speltSt Monance,is a village and parish in theEast NeukofFifeand is named after the legendarySaint Monan.
Situated approximately three miles (five kilometres) west ofAnstruther,the small community, whose inhabitants used to make their living mainly from fishing, is now a tourist destination situated on theFife Coastal Path.The former burgh rests on a hill overlooking theFirth of Forth,with views toNorth Berwick,theBass Rockand theIsle of May.Like other East Neuk villages, it is rich in vernacular fisher and merchant houses of the 17th to early 19th centuries, with characteristic old Scots features such asforestairs,crow-stepped gables,datestonesandpantiledroofs. Its historic buildings include a now defunct windmill that once powered asalt panningindustry, and a 14th-century church that sits on the rocks above the water on the western side.
Approximately1⁄2mile (800 metres) west of St Monans are the remains ofNewark Castle,a 16th-century manor that has since fallen to ruin through clifferosionand disrepair. In 2002, with the permission ofHistoric Scotland,an unsuccessful attempt to restore the castle was made.
The civil parish had a population of 1,357 in 2011;[3]the population at the 2021 Census was 1,120.
History
[edit]The village takes its name fromSt Monan,who was killed by invading Danes in about 875.St Adrianwas killed on the Isle of May in the same raid, and 6,000 Fife Christians are said to have died.[4]
According to author Leonard Low, an account written forMary Queen of Scotsindicates that in 1548 a significant battle occurred a short distance from St Monans church. The Scottish army, pulling away from losses inMusselburghandEdinburgh,turned to fight, and defeat, the invading English army at St Monans. All other written records of this battle appear to have been lost whenOliver Cromwellordered all Scottish records be shipped to theTower of London,and several barrels filled with documents were lost at sea en route.[5]
Harbour
[edit]As with many of the East Neuk villages the harbour began as a simple natural inlet protected by natural rock outcrops. The first structures were the slipways for launching small boats. The first mention of a manmade harbour is in 1649 (west of the existing harbour). The east pier dates from 1865 and was designed byDavid StevensonandThomas Stevenson.[6]The west pier was created in 1902 by their nephewCharles Alexander Stevensonwho also deepened the harbour to take larger vessels.[7]Plans for various stages in the Stevenson's development of the harbour are available on theNational Library of Scotlandwebsite.[8]
Parish church
[edit]St Monans Church dates from 1369[9]and is situated in an isolated position to the west of the village on the very edge of the sea. It is perched on a low rock, over a small valley with a burn. As seen from most directions it has the sea as a backdrop. The original graveyard surrounds the church and a more modern cemetery stands further westwards on the upper slopes of the little hill. This contains the local war memorial.[10]Standing at the extreme west end of this the ruin of an earlier church can be viewed across fields, again perched on the sea edge.
It is often said that, in the whole of Scotland, St Monans Church is the church nearest the sea, and this may well be the case, being only around 20 m from the edge. The church, one of the finest remaining from theMiddle Agesin Scotland, was built by KingDavid IIBruce (1329–71), initially for a small house ofDominicanfriars.It later became theChurch of Scotlandparish church. Though the church may never have been finished (it has achoirandtransepts,with a short spire over the crossing, but lacks anave), it has many features of architectural interest, notably the fine stone vaulting in the choir and the plain but handsomesedilia.White-washedthroughout internally, the church is particularly light and attractive among ancient Scottish churches.
The church was greatly restored in 1899 by the Glasgow architectPeter MacGregor Chalmers.[11]The church hall was added in 1913 to a design by SirRobert Lorimer.[12]
Major restoration to the windows and masonry was completed in March 2007. The church is open to visitors daily from April to October.[13]
The church and churchyard feature in a number of films including the 2016 remake ofWhisky Galore!and the funeral, wedding and pier scenes inThe Railway Man.It was also used in the 1981Johnny CashChristmas Special.[14]
St. Monans Gospel Hall
[edit]The Hall was built in 1970 and is a modern building, harled with a slate roof, situated in a raised location facing broadly west over Hope Park on the northern edge of St. Monans. Prior to its construction, it was not uncommon for fishermen from St Monans to cycle to St Andrews to attend meetings at the Gospel Hall there.
Shops, hotels, cafés and businesses
[edit]St Monans has a fish merchants and a fish-smokehouse. The village has several restaurants and cafes and many privately owned holiday homes. There is also a caravan park which attracts many visitors, a tradition that has continued from when the village was on the East Neuk Rail Line, part of theFife Coast Railwaywhich was shut down in the 1960s after theBeechingcuts.
St. Monance railway station(spelt St. Monans from 1875 to 1936) was at the entrance to the village, where there is now an industrial estate. All that remains is the south platform, which is overgrown with grass, and the station master's house, now a private residence.
Salt production by evaporation was a traditional industry in theEast Neuk.The East Neuk Salt Company has revived this industry in St Monans.[15]
For over 200 years theboat builderJ W Miller & Sons Ltdproducedfifiefishing boats, yachts and motor launches in St Monans. There is no longer boat building in the village.
Bus services
[edit]The two main bus services that run through St Monans are operated byStagecoach East Scotland.These are:[16]
- 95 fromLeventoSt AndrewsviaAnstrutherandCrail[17]
- X60 fromEdinburghtoSt AndrewsviaKirkcaldy,LevenandAnstruther[18]
Notable residents
[edit]- Charlie Cooke,professional footballer
- Christopher Rush,author; his autobiographyHellfire and Herringdescribes the community as he knew it as a boy and as described by his grandfather and other relatives.[19]
References
[edit]- Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004).The Scottish Islands.Edinburgh: Canongate.ISBN978-1-84195-454-7.
Footnotes
[edit]- ^"Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland".National Records of Scotland.31 March 2022.Retrieved31 March2022.
- ^"About St. Monans".Aye Can.Retrieved9 March2011.
- ^Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usually Resident Population, publ. by National Records of Scotland. Web sitehttp://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/retrieved March 2016. See “Standard Outputs”, Table KS101SC, Area type: Civil Parish 1930
- ^Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 490-94
- ^Leonard Low (2017), The Battle of St Monans: The Story of Scotland's Forgotten Battle. ISBN 9781904246466
- ^"Dictionary of Scottish Architects - DSA Building/Design Report (September 28, 2022, 4:26 am)".
- ^Buildings of Scotland: Fife by John Gifford
- ^"Place: St.%20Monans - Stevenson Maps and Plans of Scotland, 1660-1940 - National Library of Scotland / University of Edinburgh".
- ^Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae by Hew Scott
- ^"St Monans War Memorial - War Memorials Online".www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk.Retrieved25 June2018.
- ^Goold, David."Dictionary of Scottish Architects - DSA Architect Biography Report (June 6, 2017, 8:53 pm)".www.scottisharchitects.org.uk.
- ^Dictionary of Scottish Architects: Robert Lorimer
- ^"St Monans and Largoward Kirks".Ad HoC Creative Consultancy.Retrieved21 December2009.
- ^"Johnny Cash Christmas 1981 4 - video Dailymotion".23 March 2007.
- ^Angie Brown (23 June 2024)."I almost died trying to get salt from the sea".BBC News.
- ^Bus list
- ^Bus timetable
- ^Bus timetable
- ^Christopher Rush(2011).Hellfire And Herring: A Childhood Remembered.London: Profile.ISBN9781847650900.
External links
[edit]
- St Monans
- East Neuk of Fife, Scotland - information resource
- St Monans,Electric Scotland
- St Monans Windmill
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