June brings in the summer and memories of the summer holidays. Using the guidebooks and photographs from our collections, in this post, we take a trip down memory lane to follow an itinerary of a day tripper to St Andrews in the 1950s and 60s.
David Hay Fleming (1849-1931), St Andrean, local historian and antiquarian, published a tourist handbook for St Andrews in 1887. His guides continued to been reprinted and reused for nearly 100 years since this first publication. A day tripper to St Andrews could pick a copy of the St Andrews Standard Guide from J & G Innes Ltd, St Andrews Citizen Office on the corner of Church Street and South Street.
The former site of St Andrews Railway Station now serves as a busy car park for visitors to the town. However, until 1969 many visitors arrived in the town by railway which hugged the coastline from Leuchars, crossing The Old Course, now known as Old Station Road, before following the (now) raised footpath that runs alongside the Petheram Bridge car park, which is to the left in the image.
[Image Alt Text: Hand-drawn, colour image of metal framed glass building on platform between railway tracks with grass bank on left and stone wall on right. Buildings in the distance and woods to the right]
For history buffs, St Andrews castle is one of the main attractions in the town. The former Bishop’s palace is noted in the guidebook as a place ‘worthy of examination’. The bottle dungeon in particular is a must see!
[Image Alt Text: Black and white image of coastal area, with people on the beach and a stone building in the background.]
[Image Alt Text: Description generated with assistance from AI. Black-and-white photograph of Step Rock in St Andrews. The scene captures a rocky coastal area with a bathing pool, surrounded by natural rock formations. The water appears calm, and there are many people in the bathing pool and watching on in deck chairs
Aside from the golf, many were drawn to the beautiful coastline and to indulge in a spot of open-air swimming, a popular pursuit along the Fife coastline with the rise of the railway, making the seaside accessible to a wider working-class audience. The Step Rock open air swimming pool was first built in 1903. According to the guidebook, an annual swimming gala took place at the Step Rock pool each July. The St Andrews Aquarium is now on the site of the former pool.
[Image Alt Text: Black and white image of coastal area with people in the sea, on the beach and on an embankment. Cars are lined along the embankment with tents and caravans visible in the background.]
The Kinkell Braes beyond the East Sands offer, in the words of the guidebook, ‘the finest views of the city’. For geologists and those with an interest in the natural landscape, a walk along the Braes offers a chance to see the famous rock and spindle formation, or exploration of Kinkell cave at the foot of Maiden Rock.
For those wishing to venture further afield, you could cycle out to Craigtoun Country Park. Originally known as the Mount Melville estate, at the turn of the 20th century it had become the family home of Dr James Younger, until 1947, when the house and grounds were sold to Fife Council. The house was a maternity hospital for the town until its closure in 1992, whilst the extensive grounds were turned into Craigtoun Country Park.
[Image Alt Text – Description generated with assistance from AI. Black and white photograph of a miniature train at a station in Craigtoun Park, St Andrews. The scene includes adults and children sitting on a small diesel engine with carriages on a railway line, positioned beside a modest station building. In the background, there is a tunnel entrance]
Visitors to the park could enjoy a range of activities, including a ride on a miniature steam locum train, a gentle row on the model ‘Dutch Village’ boating pond or a walk through a stumpery to try and catch a glimpse of a fairy in one of the miniature houses . The boating pond and other architectural features within the grounds are still open to the public and currently under The Friends of Craigtoun’s charitable care, whilst the house has been developed into luxury apartments with golf course.
[ Image Alt text- Description generated with assistance from AI. Black and white photograph scene of the Dutch Village in Craigtoun Park, St Andrews. The photograph captures several small buildings with traditional Dutch architectural features, including steep gabled roofs and decorative facades, surrounded by a boating pond and gardens. In the middle ground there are several rowing boats on the pond with people rowing.]
[Image Alt text- Description generated with assistance from AI. Black and white photograph of a boy wearing light shorts and a dark jacket stepping onto a staircase leading to a miniature castle house built into a tree stump in Craigtoun Park, St Andrews. Trees are in the background.]
Following a day of busy activity, our day tripper may have chosen to end the day by going to one of the town’s cinemas. Residential flats now stand on the former North Street site of the ‘Cinema House’ and would have been the competitor to the newer (still standing) ‘New Picture House’, which remains on North Street, albeit now serving as a bar and private cinema.
[Image Alt Text- Black and white photograph of street scene with light coloured art deco façade of the Cinema House. Parked cars are shown in front of the building]
After staying a bit too long watching the main feature, our day tripper having missed the last train could extend their stay by taking a caravan at the East sands to enjoy the sunset over St Rule’s tower before nodding off. The caravan park still exists today.
[Image Alt text- Description generated with assistance from AI. Black and white photograph of a field filled with caravans situated above a wide sandy bay at East Sands, St Andrews. The background features the town with houses and towers covering the headland of the bay. A group of people are standing in the middle ground.]
As a memento of time spent in St Andrews, a visitor could pick up a postcard featuring all the sites visited during their trip.
From University Collections, we hope you have good summer holidays whether they be in St Andrews or further afield!
[Image Alt Text- Description generated with assistance from AI. Colour photograph of composite postcard titled “Best of Luck from St Andrews.” It features four views: St Andrews Castle, Sands and Children’s Pool at Step Rock, Pier and East Sands from Kinkell Braes, and The Harbour. In the centre, there is a black Scottie dog holding a basket of white heather]
Bonus content – if our day tripper had visited in the 1970s, they may have been lucky enough to meet Dr Who’s Tom Baker at the ‘Book Bang’ held at the former Forgans Children’s Library on Market Street, which is now commercial offices.
[Image Alt Text- Description generated with assistance from AI. Black and white photograph of Tom Baker, dressed as Doctor Who, visiting the St Andrews Book Bang on Market Street, St Andrews. He is seated at a table, preparing to sign a book. Tom Baker has curly hair, hat, knitted scarf, and velvet coat. In front of the table, a man, a boy, and a woman holding a girl are standing. There is a water jug and a glass on the table].
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Thrilled to have come across this. I used to come to St. Andrews in the 1970s for the whole summer, from aged 7 to 13, as my Granny lived here (at 2 Southfield), and I happened to be back in St Andrews for a funeral just this Monday (Professor Ali Dawson), so it was very sad but lovely to be back, all at the same time. My father was an academic in England so we’d drive up and stay for the whole 6 weeks; my older sister and I loved it. Granny lived here after Grandpa died – he’d been the Rector at the church in Aberfeldy, and Grantown-on-Spey before that – the family joke was that they always lived in glorious places.
This weekend we stayed a few nights on Argyle St and the air in the morning when I opened the front door took me right back to those holidays. I was surprised how much I knew the streets – took the dog to Cockshaugh Park with the path running along above the Kinnessburn, took friends down to East Sands, the Botanic Gardens, the West Sands, everywhere. Didn’t get time to see the Step Rock as an acquarium or where the trampolines used to be. But simply the best place ever.
Hi Annabel, thanks so much for your lovely comment. It is nice to hear that you have been able to reminisce while you are here. It wasn’t included in the original blog but we have a photograph of the trampolines at the East Bents you mentioned: https://collections.st-andrews.ac.uk/item/east-bents-st-andrews/58917.