Tomorrow’s singer was Keith West, perhaps better known for the hit Excerpt From A Teenage Opera in turn better known as “Grocer Jack” as those two words repeated formed the beginning of the chorus. Guitarist Steve Howe later achieved greater fame with Yes.
Dunfermline band Nazareth – one of whose members lived round the corner from Son Of The Rock Towers for a while – had a hit with a rocked up version of My White Bicycle in 1975.
We don’t go to the flicks much, especially since the last local outlet dedicated to cinema was closed and it required a trip to Dunfermline to ogle the silver screen but the good lady fancied seeing this so we hied ourselves off to the local part time not-flea pit otherwise known as the Adam Smith Theatre.
Tamara Drewe started out as a serialised graphic novel written by Posy Simmonds which appeared weekly in the Guardian a good few years back now. As far as I can remember that original, the film closely follows its plot.
The story concerns the disruption to the lives of the succesful author Nicholas Hardiment and his much more competent and business-like wife, who together run a writers’ retreat in Devon, plus their handyman Andy when successful journalist and former village resident Tamara Drewe returns – complete with nose job – to her earlier home in the farm next door.
The goings on are witnessed and affected by a pair of local schoolgirls who hang about the local bus shelter – the buses have long since been withdrawn – and moon over pop stars’ pictures in magazines.
Their boredom is transformed when Tamara takes up with – and brings to live in the village – the very drummer whom one of them finds so attractive.
There were excellent performances all round, with occasional cartoon moments from Dominic Cooper as the drummer, but especially good ones from the two youngsters and from Tamsin Greig as the much put upon wife of Hardiment.
The film starts off comedically – there are plenty laugh out loud moments – but becomes darker as the plot unfolds. The conventions of fiction are followed to the extent that the “baddy” gets his come-uppance.
The film has a 15 certificate and that obviously means you can include people swearing and even show them having sex; as long as there’s no full frontal nudity.
The film isn’t profound, not saying much that hasn’t been said before, but it is entertaining.
Dunfermline’s First World War Memorial is just over the road from Dunfermline Abbey, or more accurately from the ruins of Dunfermline Palace. Being 1920s in origin there is a touch of Deco about it.
The Second World War memorial is in a smaller garden location adjacent to the Abbey grounds.
This is the Palace ruin. The WW1 memorial is behind to the left here.
Dunfermline was once Scotland’s capital, hence the lines from the poem/ballad Sir Patrick Spens,
“The king sits in Dunfermline toun,
Drinking the blude red wyne.”
Here’s my photo of the Abbey, which lies to the right and above the Palace. You can see its pointed turret in the Palace picture above.
The tower’s rim has King Robert The Bruce carved out in stone on its four sides.
I’ve been out and about in Dunfermline with the camera again.
This is an Art Deco building in commercial use fronting onto the street known as the East Port.
A lawyer’s at the moment. Lots of horizontals and verticals.
The side of the building is almost as characterful. You can just see the metal balustrade on the roof towards the rear.
From the side. The extractor fans and fire escape spoil the appearance a bit. The metal balustrade on the roof is more obvious from here. I like the overlaps of the roof edges.
The sticky-out bit at the back. Pity about the fire escape gubbins. Typical rectangular chimney.
The picture below is of the building directly across the East Port. It is the former cinema known in its heyday as the Orient Express. It’s a stitch of two photos. I couldn’t get far enough back to get the whole thing in one shot.
The cinema was built in 1913, before the Deco era, but has some styling to the frontage so I thought I’d post it here. It was converted to a night club in 2004 but that has since closed.
I came across this building by chance walking through a lower part of the town, after I’d been to the Abbot House.
It’s a Christian bookshop now. What it was originally I’ve no idea.
There’s some nice detailing* above the windows. It’s more deco this side (west) than on the other.
This east side has a nice curve towards the back, though.
Great embellishment on the roofline. Except above the doorway the *zig-zag pattern goes all the way along the building and round the corner.
Unlike the Fire Station and the Glen Pavilion this is not a public building but a domestic dwelling. It doesn’t quite have the swagger of the house in Bennochy Road, Kirkcaldy – no cylindrical staircase for example – but it’s nice to come upon by surprise; as I did the first time I saw it.
The windows have definitely been replaced – typical modern double glazing.
The rear view is a bit obscured by trees but it shows the balcony and railing.
The aspect from the left also shows the balcony which may be a car port.
Here’s a close up on the tall and porthole windows.
Porthole windows were something of a thirties staple.
This is far from High Art Deco but the frieze above the entrance is a beauty and there are some Deco flourishes inside. It is definitely of its time, though; very thirties in appearance.
This is the west side of the South aspect with entrance doors.
This is the centre of the south side. It houses/housed the cafe.
South aspect, east side.
Close up on entrance and stairs leading up to it.
This is the frieze above the entrance.
A similar embellishment above the east side block.
I did promise in my one year’s anniversary post that I would put up some pictures of Art Deco in Dunfermline. This is the first set.
Of 1936 vintage, this is very similar in style to the Fire Station in Kirkcaldy which, being constructed a year or so later, is said to be a copy. There is interplay between verticals and horizontals here but this building lacks the painted highlights, the ironwork balconies and the East Coast vernacular chimney stacks of the Kirkcaldy one.
Dunfermline Fire Station is being replaced by a new building lower down the town. It has been proposed that this present building should be turned into an Arts centre.
The view from the west.
Rear view. Typical thirties window styling.
Detail on west side.
Detail on brickwork at front.
Pillar embellishment at front.
View from East.
As this view shows the long window slopes and in its present form obviously dates from the refurbishment of 1986.
