| Elie and Earlsferry | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Elie and Earlsferry Location withinFife | |
| Population | 640 (2020)[1] |
| OS grid reference | NO4900 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Leven |
| Postcode district | KY9 |
| Dialling code | 01333 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
| 56°11′24″N2°49′24″W / 56.18988°N 2.82334°W /56.18988; -2.82334 | |
Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and formerroyal burgh inFife, and parish, Scotland, situated within theEast Neuk beside Chapel Ness on the north coast of theFirth of Forth, eight miles east ofLeven. The burgh comprised the linked villages ofElie (/ˈiːli/EE-lee) to the east and to the westEarlsferry, which were formally merged in 1930 by theLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1929. To the north is the village ofKilconquhar andKilconquhar Loch.
The civil parish has a population of 861 (in 2011).[2]
Earlsferry, the older of the two villages, was first settled in time immemorial.[citation needed] It is said thatMacDuff, the Earl of Fife, crossed the Forth here in 1054 while fleeing fromKing Macbeth. In particular the legend tells of his escape being aided by local fishermen, an act which may have led directly to the village being promoted to royal burgh status due to MacDuff's later influence overMalcolm III.[3]
By the middle of the 12th century, theEarls of Fife had instituted a ferry for the use of pilgrims en route to the shrine ofSaint Andrew theApostle atSt Andrews. The ferry crossed the Firth of Forth toNorth Berwick, a distance of 7 miles, and it is this ferry that led to the naming of the place. There are the remains of a small chapel on Chapel Ness, built for the use of these pilgrims.
King Robert II made Earlsferry a royal burgh in 1373[4] but its originalcharter was destroyed in a fire. Earlsferry became a trading port for merchants and remained so until the 18th century, and was also an important calling point on the pilgrims' route from the south to St Andrews. A new charter was granted in 1589 byJames VI.[3] In 1871 Earlsferry had a population of 406.[5] Little is known of the foundation of Elie, but in 1599 it was made a burgh of barony byKing James VI[5] and it had become sufficiently important to merit the building of Elie Parish Church in 1639. Its harbour was more sheltered than that of Earlsferry, it began to poach trade away from Earlsferry and after a great storm in 1766 filled it with sand, Earlsferry harbour was no longer used.[6]
The etymology of the name Elie is unclear. The name may derive from theScottish Gaelicealadh which means 'tomb', orèaladh which means 'a passage for boats between two rocks', orail plus the suffixin which means 'rock-place'.[7][8]
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Elie has an unusual parish church, dating from 1639. It has a tall octagonal tower, topped with a belvedere detail, centrally located on the church.[9] It is approached on axis from the High Street, increasing the drama of its architecture, and surrounded by a churchyard burial ground.[10]
Elie House is an interestingScots vernacular extended tower house, standing close to the waterline. It dates back to 1697 with additions in 1770.[11]
In the 1770s theLady's Tower was built in Ruby Bay, on the east side of Elie Ness, for Janet, Lady Anstruther. It incorporated a vaulted chamber at sea level as a changing room. It is said that Lady Anstruther would bathe in the nearby waters, a servant ringing a bell all the while to ensure locals stayed away.[12][13] The daughter ofProvost Charles Fall ofDunbar, she was mentioned byThomas Carlyle as Jenny Faa ("Faa" being purportedly the Fall family's ancient name) "a coquette and a beauty". She caused the hamlet of Balclevie, to the north of Elie House, to be razed ostensibly "to improve the view" but widely thought to be because thetinker inhabitants reminded her of her own family's origins. This may have beenWalter Scott's inspiration for a similar incident inGuy Mannering.[14][15] A curse is said to have been placed on the Anstruther family by an old woman whose house had been demolished.[16]
Elie Primary School dates to 1858 and is in a Category Clisted building.[17]Elie and Earlsferry Town Hall was completed in 1873 but contains elements of an earlier town house.[18]
After theScottish Reformation, pilgrimages and other traffic waned in Earlsferry.[6]
Elie and Earlsferry are about ten miles due south of St Andrews. Golf is believed to have been played on Earlsferry Links as early as the 15th century, and the layout evolved over time into the current 18-hole course which has remained largely unchanged since 1895.[citation needed]
There has been aformal golf club here in Elie and Earlsferry since 1832. The current club, the Golf House Club, was founded in 1875 with the building of the clubhouse. An unusual feature is the periscope from the submarineHMSExcalibur. It was installed in the starter's hut after the submarine was scrapped in 1968; players and visitors may use it to view the golf course.[19]
Golfers, clubmakers and course designersJames Braid,Archie Simpson,Bob Peebles andIsaac Mackie were born in Earlsferry.[20][21]
Neighbouring the Golf House Club is the Elie Sports Club, which encompasses a multi-sports facility. Its facilities include a 9-hole golf course (2080 yards long), a putting course, a driving range with covered bays and outdoor hitting areas and a short game practice area with two bunkers and a 50-yard pitching fairway. There are also five full-size tennis courts and four short tennis courts along with a bowling green.[22]
Elie has a cricket club, which is based at The Ship Inn pub on the beachfront.[23] The team arrange all their home fixtures in line with the tides and play them on the beach when the tide is out.[24]
Elie's harbour was expanded in 1850. The nearby railway, part of theFife Coast Railway, was built in 1857, and extended through Elie toAnstruther in 1863.[3] The villages opened up to the affluent tourist trade of Victorian times in the 1870s, which saw regular steamers fromNorth Berwick andLeith.[25]
The explosion of modern communications saw the nature of the local economy change. Coal mining dwindled after the railway came to the area. Linen weavers abandoned their trade when cheaper imported cotton fabrics from the overseas colonies of the British Empire swamped the domestic market. Fishing gradually declined. The growing tourist trade caused a local building boom, which would have provided stonemasonry work. There were also golf club makers in the village for many years. Various support trades existed in the villages over the years and persisted until the advent of modern road transport around 1970.[3]
Elie and Earlsferry were formally merged in 1930.[5]
In recent decades, the town has become a very popular destination for wealthy residents ofGlasgow andEdinburgh. During the summer months, the town's population is several times higher than it is during the winter. A survey in 2018 found that half of the properties in the town were not the owners first residences.[26] Attractions include the beach, golf, restaurants, surfing and sailing. Elie won an award as one of the best managed beaches in Scotland in 2018.[27]
The railway line was selected as part of theBeeching Axe in the 1960s, and the station and tracks were subsequently closed and dismantled; leaving Elie with only road and sea transport links.
The Times included Elie and Earlsferry as one of the best places to live in the UK in 2020.[26]
On the coast, 1 km west of Earlsferry, beneath theFife Coastal Path, the Elie Chain Walk passes down the cliff faces to the tidal beaches.[28]
The route, which should only be used during low tides, has chains fixed to the cliffs and rocks of the shore to assist progress, and is sometimes referred to as Scotland's secretvia ferrata (iron path).[29]
The chains were first installed in the 1920s, and were replaced in 2010.[30]
The filmThe Winter Guest, starringEmma Thompson andPhyllida Law, directed byAlan Rickman, was filmed here.[31]
The two main bus services are provided by Stagecoach East Scotland. These are:[32]
The famous "floral clock" in Edinburgh'sPrinces Street Gardens was originally constructed using the clock mechanism salvaged from Elie Parish Church in 1903.[38]
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