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Culross

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From Wikipedia1,409 words

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A walk through timber‑frame memory

Culross’ streets read like an illustrated manual for the 17th‑century craft of timber‑frame building. The tightly packed bay windows and steeply‑pitched roofs were originally tied to the local ship‑building trade, where skilled carpenters needed to fashion hulls that could weather the Firth’s tides. Today, a stroll along Main Street lets you trace the same joinery methods in the exposed oak beams and mullioned panes that still support the merchant houses. Look beyond the façade: many of the low‑lying undercrofts were once used for storing coal and kelp, evidence of a diversified economy that blended maritime and agrarian livelihoods. This layered architectural narrative offers a tactile sense of how the village’s built environment responded to both the sea and the hills.

Seasonal rhythms for the discerning visitor

The village’s quiet charm is most perceptible in late autumn, when the surrounding woodland turns amber and the Firth of Forth reflects a low, silvery light. This period coincides with the annual kelp harvest, a practice still undertaken by a handful of locals who hand‑dry the seaweed for use in traditional soaps and as a natural fertilizer. Visiting then gives you a chance to glimpse this labour, often missed by the summer crowd. Conversely, early summer brings a burst of horticultural activity: community gardens sprout heirloom varieties of kale and leeks, and the nearby River Carron hosts modest salmon runs that attract anglers who are happy to share stories over a pint at the historic tavern.

Beyond the usual “heritage trail”

While most guidebooks point to the town’s preserved streets, a short detour westward leads to the extinct coal pits that once powered the local economy. The remnants, now overgrown with bracken, are accessible via a modest footpath that offers panoramic views across the Firth to the modern wind farms at the mouth of the river. This juxtaposition of industrial archaeology and contemporary renewable energy provides a quiet commentary on the region’s transformation. For those keen on photography, the early morning mist over the pits frames the silhouettes of former engine houses, creating a stark, atmospheric contrast to the polished stone cottages of the village centre.

Introduction

For the community in Canada, see Culross, Manitoba. For the American musician, see Dave Culross. Human settlement in ScotlandCulrossScottish Gaelic: Cuileann RosCulross (including Culross Town House) and the Firth of ForthCulrossLocation within FifePopulation2,280 (2020 including Valleyfield)Community councilCulrossCouncil areaFifeLieutenancy areaFifeCountryScotlandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townDUNFERMLINEPostcode districtKY12PoliceScotlandFireScottishAmbulanceScottish UK ParliamentDunfermline and West FifeScottish ParliamentDunfermline List of places UK Scotland 56°03′19″N 3°37′45″W / 56.0554°N 3.6293°W / 56.0554; -3.6293 Culross (/ˈkurəs/; Scottish Gaelic: Cuileann Ros, "holly point") is a village and former royal burgh, and parish, in Fife, Scotland. According to the 2006 estimate, the village has a population of 395. Originally, Culross served as a port city on the Firth of Forth and is believed to have been founded by Saint Serf during the 6th century. The civil parish had a population of 4,348 in 2011.

West Kirk and Abbey

[edit] West Kirk of Culross viewed from west The parish appears to have originally centred further west. The original church, later known as the "West Kirk" perhaps dates to the 11th century but was abandoned around 1500 and, therefore, did not come into play in 1560 at the time of the Reformation; however, it continued to be used for burials into the 20th century, being a long-established burial ground. The Cistercian Abbey, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint Serf, was built around one mile (1.5 kilometres) to the east in 1217, being founded by Malcolm, Earl of Fife. Part of this became the parish church in 1560 and was restored in 1905. A Chapel of St. Mungo (now wholly lost) was erected in 1503 by Robert Blackadder, Archbishop of Glasgow. The first recorded minister was John Dykes (1567). He was replaced in 1593 by Robert Colville, of Linlithgow, who ministered until 1629, when replaced by his assistant Robert Melville. John Duncan MA took over in 1632. Duncan was pensioned off in 1642 but is recorded as joining the camp of General Leslie at Newcastle 1646–1647 during the English Civil War. In the 17th century, its most notable minister was the Covenanter James Fraser of Brea, who took over in 1689.

Industry

[edit] Tanhouse Brae, Culross, looking south to the Firth of Forth Anchor and storage building During the 16th and 17th centuries, the town was a centre of the coal-mining industry. Sir George Bruce of Carnock, who built Culross Palace and whose elaborate family monument stands in the north transept of the Abbey church, established a coal mine at Culross in 1575. In 1590, he constructed the Moat Pit at Culross, the first coal mine in the world known to extend under the sea. The mine worked what is now known as the Upper Hirst coal seam, with ingenious contrivances to drain the constant leakage from above. This mine was considered one of the marvels of the British Isles in the early 17th century, described by one visitor, John Taylor, as "a wonder ... an unfellowed and unmatchable work", until the Moat Pit was flooded in a storm on 30 March 1625. In fact the Moat Pit was one of more than 20 shafts in and around the village sunk by Sir George, his son and grandsons between 1575 and 1676 when the mining migrated eastward as accessible reserves were exhausted. Culross Colliery, the collective term used for the pits around the village, was one of the largest, if not the largest, in Britain at this time. Some of the coal was used for housefires and industry but the greater part and the basis of the Bruce family wealth was used to evaporate seawater to make salt. From 1575 salt panning was to become Culross's primary industry.: 9–10  There were seven salt pans at Culross in 1573. The Privy Council of Scotland allowed the proprietors, led by John Blaw and Alexander Eizatt, to export salt and they undertook to pay a duty in silver to the Scottish royal mint. In 1574, Regent Morton revoked licences to export salt because of a shortage of salt in Scotland. By the time of his death in 1625 Sir George Bruce had 44 salt pans in operation of which half were believed to be in Culross. The need to make and maintain the pans and the picks, mattocks and other tools of mining created a need for skilled smiths. One offshoot of this was the town became known for its monopoly on the manufacture of girdles, a colloquial name for flat iron plates for baking over an open fire. It is argued that the engineering and metal working skills developed in this period make Culross the cradle of subsequent Scottish industry. There was a considerable export trade by sea in the produce of these industries, and the prevalence of red roof tiles in Culross and other villages in Fife is thought to be a direct result of collier ships returning to Culross with Dutch roof tiles as ballast. In the late 18th century, Archibald Cochrane, 9th Earl of Dundonald, established kilns for extracting coal tar using his patented method.: 12–13  The town's role as a port declined from the 18th century, and by Victorian times it had become something of a ghost town. The harbour was filled in and the sea cut off by the coastal railway line in the very early part of the 20th century. The outer pier has recently been the subject of restoration work.

Heritage

[edit] Culross Town House Culross Palace with its crow-step gable design Street in Culross Notable buildings in the burgh include Culross Town House, formerly used as a courthouse and prison, the 16th-century Culross Palace, 17th-century Study, and the remains of the Cistercian house of Culross Abbey, founded 1217. The tower, transepts and choir of the Abbey Church remain in use as the parish church, while the ruined claustral buildings are cared for by Historic Environment Scotland. The West Kirk fell out of use before 1633, when it was noted as no longer serving as the parish church. The West Kirk was also the site where four women executed for witchcraft in 1675 were alleged to have congregated. Just outside the town is the 18th-century Dunimarle Castle, built by the Erskine family to supersede a medieval castle. Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, spent much of his early life in Culross, where his family had an estate. A bust in his honour, the work of Scott Sutherland, can be seen outside the Town House. He was the first Vice Admiral of Chile. The war memorial was erected in 1921 to a design by Sir Robert Lorimer. During the 20th century, it became recognised that Culross contained many unique historical buildings, and the National Trust for Scotland has been working on their preservation and restoration since the 1930s.

Notable people

[edit] Tanhouse Brae, Culross George Bruce of Carnock (1550–1625), Lord Bruce Christian Cavendish, Countess of Devonshire, (1595–1675), daughter of Edward Bruce, 1st Lord Kinloss (1548–1611), owner of Culross Abbey House Thomas Cochrane (1775–1860), naval officer, mercenary and politician, spent much of his early life in Culross, where his family had an estate. Bishop Leighton, Archbishop of Glasgow Elizabeth Melville, "Lady Culross" (c.1578–c.1640), Scotland's earliest-known published female poet Stewart McPherson (1822–1892), recipient of the Victoria Cross Revd. Robert Pont (1525–1606) radical church figure during the Reformation, five times Moderator of the Church of Scotland Gilbert Primrose (d. 1616) surgeon to James VI Jackie Sinclair (1943–2010), Scottish international footballer Saint Mungo (518 AD – 614 AD), Born.