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Sunset Over Leven, Fife

Photograph taken on 6/2/15.

Largo War Memorial

Largo War Memorial

The memorial is set by the A915 on the road from Leven up the Fife coast to Crail (or across Fife to St Andrews) just out of Lower Largo before the road turns up to Upper Largo. The memorial obelisk is inscribed with the words, “To the Glorious Memory of the Men of Largo Parish who fell in the Great War,” and also bears the names of the First World War dead. The plaques on the wall behind give the names for the Second World War.

Below is a wider view showing more of the wall, which bears the dates 1939 and 1945, one at each end.

Largo War Memorial

Fife’s Art Deco Heritage 10 (ii): Leven Again

When I pass through Leven I usually don’t go via the town itself but use the A915 which only goes through the upper part. Last time though I went via the A955 and consequently viewed not only the War Memorial but also two Art Deco style buildings.

The larger of these is in Durie Street, just off the town centre, and once housed a Co-operative store, built in 1937.

Former Co-operative Building, Leven, Fife from East

The stepping on the roofline, the “brows,” the windows, the horizontals and verticals, and the slight protrusion of the vertical windows flanking the centre ones are all deco features.

This is the upper frontage:-
Former Co-operative Building, Leven, Fife

And here’s a close-up on the frieze above the central windows:-

Detail on Former Co-op Building, Leven, Fife

The trianguloid protrusions flanking the centre portion look like this:-

Window Detail, Former Co-operative Building, Leven

Further out from the town centre on Scoonie road is the Agenda pub.
Agenda, Leven

This one shows the deco detailing:-
Art Deco Detailing on Agenda

Leven (Scoonie Parish) War Memorial

The Fife town of Leven lies in Scoonie Parish. It is the dead of Scoonie Parish which the memorial commemorates.

The main memorial is an obelisk set in well kept surroundings and carries names of WW1 dead. The wall behind commemorates WW2.

Leven (Scoonie Parish) War Memorial 1

Leven (Scoonie Parish) War Memorial 2

Leven (Scoonie Parish) Memorial Wall

Fife’s Art Deco Heritage 10 (i): Leven

This is in Commercial Road, Leven. It’s an estate agent’s now.

An Estate Agents in Leven, Fife

Poundland. I can remember when this was a Woolworths.

Former Woolworths, Leven, Fife

This one is on the promenade. It may have been a toilet block. I don’t know what it’s used for now. You can just see New Bayview, East Fife’s ground, in the background over the River Leven. You wouldn’t have been able to see it when Methil Power Station stood in between.

Toliet? Building, Promenade, Leven

Fife’€™s Art Deco Heritage 9: Troxy Cinema, Leven

This is more or less how I first glimpsed it. It’s in North Street, just off the main shopping street, which is now pedestrianised.

Former Troxy Cinema Leven

This is the front view.

Former Troxy Cinema Leven

I’m not sure if it’s still a snooker club. The damaged sign and general dilapidation argue against it.

The stained glass (what survives of it) is nice. And the detailing above them.

Nice Stained Glass Windows Former Troxy Cinema, Leven, Fife

This is the view from the west.

Troxy Cinema, Leven, from left

Fife’€™s Art Deco Heritage 6 (ii): Largo Road, Leven (2)

More from Largo Road, Leven.

This one’s most likely re-roofed. It retains the balcony.

Flat roofed semis! Painted in pastel(ish) shades! (But the windows are replacements.)

This one also has nice entrance gateway.

And finally a detached house that is more modernist than deco; but very striking and very of its time.

Fife’s Art Deco Heritage 6 (i): Largo Road, Leven (1)

Largo Road is just on the eastern edge of Leven; on the A915, leading out towards Lundin Links (and later, Lower – and Upper – Largo, then St Andrews.)

In a similar way to Kirkcaldy’s Lady Nairn Avenue it has a fine row of 1930s houses, mostly semi-detacheds but in this case with some villas. Some of them have been reroofed but a few flat roofs remain. All these have replacement windows.

The pillars on the balconies here show the deco origins though the windows are now a fright.

This one still has trianguloid windows but they have been replaced (as have all the others) to the detriment of the overall appearance, I would say. The porch extension on the right hand semi is a bit odd looking too.

Here’s a detached villa with a deco-ish arch – still with eyes poked out, though.

Another detached villa, trianguloid windows above the door but the fenestration just isn’t right with plastic framed double glazing, and the roof overhang is odd. The garage can’t be original either, surely.

This has a very 30s chimney and a suspiciously new looking roof.

Plus a nice rounded corner. Untypically for Scotland, it’s finished in brick.

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