Brownhills

Settlement in Fife

Scotland

Brownhills

South Street, St Andrews Credit: Richard Webb

Brownhills is a small village located in the eastern part of Fife, Scotland. Situated approximately 4 miles southeast of the town of Glenrothes, it is nestled in a rural setting surrounded by picturesque countryside. The village is characterized by its tranquil atmosphere and offers a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of nearby urban areas.

Brownhills has a rich history dating back centuries, with evidence of human settlement in the area since ancient times. The village is known for its traditional architecture, with many buildings constructed using locally sourced materials, such as sandstone and slate.

Despite its small size, Brownhills boasts a close-knit community that takes pride in its heritage. The village features a small primary school, which serves the local children, and a community center that hosts various events and activities throughout the year. Additionally, there is a village pub where residents and visitors can gather for a drink and a meal, fostering a sense of camaraderie among the locals.

The surrounding countryside offers ample opportunities for outdoor pursuits, including walking, hiking, and cycling. Nearby attractions include the Lomond Hills Regional Park, which provides breathtaking views and a range of recreational activities.

Overall, Brownhills is a charming village that offers a peaceful and idyllic lifestyle for its residents. With its rich history, beautiful surroundings, and strong sense of community, it is a hidden gem in the heart of Fife.

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Brownhills Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 56.324941/-2.7777332 or Grid Reference NO5215. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

South Street, St Andrews

Richard Webb

Department of Medieval History, St Andrews University

Ornate doorway in South Street.

Richard Webb

Abbey Street

Maps are not too forthcoming on the name of this street so assumptions have been made. Looking towards the castle.

Richard Webb

The Fulmar

One of several fishing boats moored in St Andrews harbour

William Starkey

Arctic Tern and Solaris

Fishing boats moored in St Andrews harbour

William Starkey

Samuel Rutherford's Grave, St Andrews Cathedral

After losing his charge as minister at Anwoth in Galloway, due to his nonconformity to Episcopacy, Samuel Rutherford was banished to Aberdeen. In 1638 he became the Professor of Divinity at St Andrews University. The inscription reads (note unusual spelling of Samuel Rutherford): M S . R Here lyes the Reverend Mr. Samuell Rutherfoord Professor of Divinity in The University of St Andrews who died March the 20 1661. What tongu what Pen or Skill of Men Can famous Rutherfoord commend His Learning justly rasid his fame True GODliness Adornd His Name He did converse with things ABOVE Acquainted with Emmanuels Love Most orthodox He was And sound And Many Errots Did confound For Zions King and Zions cause And Scotlands covenanted Laws Most constantly he Did contend Until His Time was At An End Than He wan To the Full Fruition Of That which He Had seen in vision.

Becky Williamson

Grounds of St. Mary's College, South Street, St. Andrews

The college is part of the University of St. Andrews, and the School of Divinity is based here. The arch hidden under the vegetation is apparently a kind of folly, and not part of some ancient wall. It seems the vegetation was removed at some stage, but this photo was taken a long while ago! The arch and the garden in front and behind is in OS square NO5016. Immediately to the right everything, including the college buildings, are in NO5116.

P L Chadwick

Feeding the doves of St. Mary's College, South Street, St. Andrews

Sadly this is a sight you are unlikely to ever see again. The quadrangle of St. Mary's College used to be home to a large number of doves, which were fed by the college. The doves were long regarded as the mascot of the College. This photograph shows a gentleman in a smart uniform feeding them. Look closely and you will see some opportunistic pigeons amongst the doves. The doves are no longer here. The official website has a brief note that the doves had "to be removed for health reasons". It doesn't explain whether this was for the health of the doves, or the students and staff, nor where the doves were removed to. This seems to have happened about 1994. However we can probably assume that the pigeons are still around.

P L Chadwick

St Leonard's School

St Leonard's is an independent school which originally took girls only. This is the south wing of the main school building, with the school tower behind it. From the street, the school presents a rather forbidding aspect, but it has extensive gardens and playing fields inside the grim-looking walls.

Anne Burgess

Slipway, St Andrews

Small wooden slipway at East Sands.

Maigheach-gheal

Lifebuoy, St Andrews

The lifebuoy is near the slipway at East Sands. The ruins of St Andrews Cathedral can be seen in the distance.

Maigheach-gheal

The Pends, St. Andrews

These arched gateways, known as the Pends, stand astride the road to the south and allowed the Augustinian canons of St. Andrews to control traffic to and from the priory and the harbour.

kim traynor

Tower of St. Rule's Church

Pilgrimages to St. Andrews were encouraged in the 12th century by Queen Margaret, the Anglo-Saxon wife of Malcolm Canmore (r.1057-93), who was canonised in 1251. Her confessor and biographer, Turgot, bishop of Durham, became the first bishop of the revived diocese of St Andrews at the head of a community of Celtic, or Culdee monks (from the Gaelic 'Cele De', meaning 'servant of God'). The foundations of a later church, built on what may have been the site of their church, can still be seen to the north of the cathedral on the cliffs overlooking the harbour. By the end of the reign of Margaret's son, Alexander I (r.1107-24), attempts were made to establish Roman church organisation by introducing a community of Augustinian canons who founded a priory. This tower is the only surviving part of their first church which may well have been built to house the relics of Andrew. A pre-Norman structure, it was built in two stages, probably in the 1120s and the 1140s, and has come to be popularly associated with St Rule. No trace remains of the nave which was added at a later stage. The tower is 32.92 metres (108 ft) high and offers a spectacular view of the adjacent burgh and surrounding countryside. The staircase dates from the 16th century.

kim traynor

Cathedral precinct wall, St. Andrews

The cathedral's remarkably well-preserved boundary wall, fortified by a series of round and rectangular towers, dates from the 16th century. It is one mile long and encloses an area of over 12 hectares.

kim traynor

Cathedral archway, St. Andrews

kim traynor

St. Andrews Cathedral, remains of the West Front

This must be a heart-breaking scene for anyone with an interest in Scottish history or a love of and respect for old buildings. It's all too easy to blame the Protestant reformers for the appalling condition of the Cathedral today - and I suppose they bear responsibility for its loss of protection in the post-Reformation era - but their iconoclastic attack in 1559 could never have wrought damage to the extent seen here. This is clearly a result of not just neglect but the subsequent quarrying of the stone over generations for use in the town and surrounding area. Destruction in war apart, this must qualify as one of the worst acts of vandalism ever perpetrated on a church building in the whole of western Europe. Between 1273 and 1279 the west front was wrecked in a storm and rebuilt under Bishop Wishart (1271-79) who was buried in front of the high altar. The new front, seen here, was built two bays further east of the original gable. The central door was the main processional doorway used by the canons, while parishioners and pilgrims entered by a door on the north side of the nave. "..the tacit assumption that all ecclesiastical buildings of Scotland were in fair or good condition when that outburst [of 1559-60] took place is preposterous". -- David Hay Fleming, Reformation in Scotland, 1931

kim traynor

Ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral

The Cathedral, founded about 1160 in the reign of Queen Margaret's great-grandson, Malcolm IV (r.1153-65), was intended to be the longest church in Scotland, having an interior measuring 109 metres from east to west. In 1192 the claim of the Archbishop of York to supremacy over the affairs of the Scottish church was finally rejected when a papal bull recognised the latter (excepting Galloway) as "a special daughter" of Rome. Thereafter, St. Andrews, as the richest church in the kingdom enjoying the revenues of over two hundred parish kirks, assumed the leadership of Scottish ecclesiastical affairs. In 1472, it became the metropolitan church in Scotland (including Orkney and the Isles, previously under Trondheim) when its bishops were elevated to archbishops.

kim traynor

North wall of the cloister, St. Andrews Cathedral

The blocked-up doorway at the west end of the south wall was the day-time entrance used by the canons to process into the church from the cloister. The cloister garth may well have been laid out as a herb garden. "The old church here was a noble structure; it was longer than St Paul's in London, by a considerable deal, I think, by six yards, or by twenty-five foot. This building is now sunk into a simple parish church, though there are many plain discoveries of what it has been, and a great deal of project and fancy may be employed to find out the ancient shape of it." -- Daniel Defoe, A Tour Thro' The Whole Island of Great Britain, 1724-6

kim traynor

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Brownhills is located at Grid Ref: NO5215 (Lat: 56.324941, Lng: -2.7777332)

Unitary Authority: Fife

Police Authority: Fife