27-459: Preston Island is a former artificial island in the Firth of Forth , Scotland . The reclaimed land was once used for salt production, using local coal. It is part of Fife . Preston Island, south of Low Valleyfield in the Firth of Forth , was reclaimed by Sir Robert Preston, 6th Baronet in the early 19th century. A sea wall was constructed, followed by buildings and a coal mine , producing coal for
54-495: A Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area under the name Firth of Forth Banks Complex . The youngest person to swim across the Firth of Forth was 13-year-old Joseph Feeney, who accomplished the feat in 1933. In 2008, a controversial bid to allow oil transfer between ships in the firth was refused by Forth Ports . SPT Marine Services had asked permission to transfer 7.8 million tonnes of crude oil per year between tankers, but
81-484: A hovercraft passenger service completed a two-week trial between Portobello, Edinburgh and Kirkcaldy, Fife. The trial of the service (marketed as "Forthfast") was hailed as a major operational success, with an average passenger load of 85 per cent. It was estimated the service would decrease congestion for commuters on the Forth road and rail bridges by carrying about 870,000 passengers each year. Despite its initial success,
108-550: A crafts centre and woodland walks, while the latter has attractive gardens and coastal views. Golf is also a major draw with two courses at Scoonie and Leven Links and another within easy walking distance at Lundin Links. Leven Links has been used as a qualifying course for the Open Championship when it is held at St Andrews, the "home of golf" only 15 miles (24 km) to the north. There are also numerous bowls clubs in and around
135-684: A large number of restaurants and cafes. Levenmouth suffers from poor connections to the rail and main road network of Central Scotland, particularly since the closure of the last railway link in 1969, which came at the same time as the collapse of coal mining. The knock-on effect virtually sealed the fate of Methil as a major port on the East of Scotland. On 15 June 2021 the transport minister Graeme Dey announced that rail services would be reintroduced to Leven and Levenmouth with an electrified dual-track railway. Services were reintroduced on 2nd of June 2024 after £116m of Scottish Government investment linking Leven to
162-570: A scheme was approved to re-open the town's railway station . Until then, the nearest station was Markinch railway station . This re-opening occurred on 2 June 2024. The ecclesiastical and civil parish of Scoonie included the town of Leven. Tourism is a major economic activity in and around Leven. There are several large caravan parks in and around the town, in addition to a number of hotels and guest houses. The neighbouring villages of Lundin Links and Lower Largo have over 50 high quality self-catering properties available for visitors. The coast and
189-546: A tourist resort popular with visitors from the west of Scotland, and particularly Glasgow . Later in the 19th century the Leven Railway became part of a loop line of the North British Railway linking Thornton Junction and Leuchars Junction via St Andrews . The railway between Leven and St. Andrews closed in 1965. The railway between Leven and Thornton Junction closed to freight in 1966 and passengers in 1969. In 2019
216-539: A tunnel existed under the Firth of Forth, dug by coal miners to link the Kinneil colliery on the south side of the Forth with the Valleyfield colliery on the north side. This is shown in the 1968 educational film Forth – Powerhouse for Industry . The shafts leading into the tunnel were filled and capped with concrete when the tunnel was closed, and it is believed to have filled with water or collapsed in places. In July 2007,
243-568: The 2022 Scottish Census , Leven has a population of 10,087. The town forms part of the Levenmouth conurbation , which has a total population of 37,651. The origin of the name "Leven" comes from the Pictish word for "flood". The nearby Loch Leven, being the flood lake, was the name given to both the river and town. A settlement is believed to have formed at the mouth of the River Leven very close to
270-616: The Norse sagas it was known as the Myrkvifiörd . An early Welsh name is Merin Iodeo , or the 'sea of Iudeu '. Geologically, the Firth of Forth is a fjord , formed by the Forth Glacier in the last glacial period . The drainage basin for the Firth of Forth covers a wide geographic area including places as far from the shore as Ben Lomond , Cumbernauld , Harthill , Penicuik and
297-742: The North Sea with Fife to its north and Lothian to its south. Firth is a cognate of fjord , a Norse word meaning a narrow inlet. Forth stems from the name of the river; this is * vo-rit-ia ('slow running') in Proto-Celtic , yielding Foirthe in Old Gaelic and Gweryd in Welsh. It was known as Bodotria in Roman times and was referred to as Βοδερία in Ptolemy 's Geography . In
SECTION 10
#1732872203733324-518: The 4th largest conurbation, whereas Dunfermline , Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes all have good road and rail connections. Leven is linked to Kirkcaldy by the A915 Standing Stane Road and Methil to Kirkcaldy through Dysart and East/West Wemyss. It also has a fast road link to Glenrothes on the A915 that continues on to St Andrews. Very little remains in the way of major employment since the closure of
351-466: The 6th century, where Saint Kentigern was born. The firth is important for nature conservation and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest . The Firth of Forth Islands SPA ( Special Protection Area ) is home to more than 90,000 breeding seabirds every year. There is a bird observatory on the Isle of May. A series of sand and gravel banks in the approaches to the firth have since 2014 been designated as
378-459: The area around Scoonie Brae with the discovery of the parish church of "scoyne" . During the mid-11th century, Bishop Tuadal of St Andrews gifted the church of "scoyne" to the Culdees of Loch Leven. By the end of the 11th century, the village along with the church were acquired by Bishop Robert of St Andrews following the decline of culdeen faith. The first mention of the current town was made in
405-465: The coal mining industry. The major employers now are the drinks manufacturer Diageo , which has its main bottling plant in the town, and one of the largest distilleries in the world at Cameron Bridge , near Windygates; and supermarket companies Sainsbury's , Lidl and Aldi , which trade from large stores located throughout the town. Currently, the town is home to three primary schools. Two of which are non-denominational - Mountfleurie and Parkhill and
432-480: The edges of Gleneagles Golf Course . Many towns line the shores, as well as the petrochemical complexes at Grangemouth , commercial docks at Leith , former oil rig construction yards at Methil , the ship breaking facility at Inverkeithing and the former naval dockyard at Rosyth , along with numerous other industrial areas, including the Forth Bridgehead area, encompassing Rosyth, Inverkeithing and
459-484: The long sandy beaches are the main visitor draw. Leven has an attractive beach promenade with playparks and other facilities including an indoor Kids Action Zone. The promenade is part of the Fife Coastal Path that stretches for over 150 miles (240 km) from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Tay. There are also popular family facilities and walks in the large parks at Letham Glen and Silverburn. The former includes
486-583: The main line at Thornton. However, there are good bus links to the main railhead at Kirkcaldy (8 miles (13 km)) and regular express bus services to the pretty resort villages of the neighbouring East Neuk and St Andrews. A new bus station has recently been built in the centre of the town at the foot of the High Street opposite the Leisure Centre. The main road through Fife, the A92 , bypasses this area of Fife,
513-537: The middle of the 15th century, according to two separate records referring to the town's name as "levynnis-mouth" . This contained information about the urgent need for repair work at the town's monastery and Georgie Durie, a local estate owner, becoming the keeper at the harbour. In 1854 the Leven Railway opened, linking the town with Thornton Junction on the Edinburgh - Aberdeen main line. This helped it to become
540-475: The nearby Longannet power station . 56°3′12″N 3°36′0″W / 56.05333°N 3.60000°W / 56.05333; -3.60000 This Fife location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth ( Scottish Gaelic : Linne Foirthe ) is the estuary , or firth , of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth . It meets
567-446: The other being denominational - St Agatha's. Parkhill Primary School which serves the centre of the town opened in 1910, initially as an infant school before accepting primary school pupils in 1957. Mountfleurie Primary School, on the other hand, opened in 1957 with an infant department in 1974. The school also has a speech and language class which officially started in 1990. St Agatha's RC Primary School which dates from 1975, following
SECTION 20
#1732872203733594-448: The production of salt in saltpans on the island. Two further coal shafts were in development when a fatal firedamp explosion occurred in 1811, after which the mine was closed. Salt production continued for some decades, under lease from Preston. The buildings later housed an illicit distillery. Several well-maintained ruins remain. The 'island' is no longer surrounded by water, following further land reclamation , using ash from
621-610: The project was cancelled in December 2011. The inner firth, located between the Kincardine and Forth bridges, has lost about half of its former intertidal area as a result of land reclamation, partly for agriculture, but mainly for industry and the large ash lagoons built to deposit spoil from the coal-fired Longannet Power Station near Kincardine . Historic villages line the Fife shoreline; Limekilns , Charlestown and Culross , established in
648-525: The proposals were met with determined opposition from conservation groups. North shore South shore Leven, Fife Leven ( Pictish ; Scottish Gaelic : Inbhir Lìobhann ) is a seaside town in Fife , set in the east Central Lowlands of Scotland . It lies on the coast of the Firth of Forth at the mouth of the River Leven , 8.1 miles (13.0 km) north-east of the town of Kirkcaldy and 6.4 miles (10.3 km) east of Glenrothes . According to
675-709: The southern edge of Dunfermline , Burntisland , Kirkcaldy , Bo'ness and Leven . The firth is bridged in two places. The Kincardine Bridge and the Clackmannanshire Bridge cross it at Kincardine , while further east the Forth Bridge , the Forth Road Bridge and the Queensferry Crossing cross from North Queensferry to South Queensferry . The Romans reportedly made a bridge of around 900 boats, probably at South Queensferry. From 1964 to 1982,
702-516: The start of the promenade, is an all-weather attraction with a large, modern indoor swimming pool and sports facilities. History enthusiasts can find out about the area's past at the Heritage Centre in neighbouring Methil , only a 15-minute walk from Leven town centre. The town centre is the main shopping centre for a wide area with a number of national chain supermarkets and retailers as well as award-winning independent local retailers. It also has
729-572: The town. A heritage railway has also been established near the Burnmill industrial estate, alongside the now disused Leven-Thornton branch line. With trains running along the yard for half a mile, between April and October with a Santa special in mid-December. The Fife Heritage Railway is the first of its kind in Fife since the closure of Lochty Private Railway in 1992. The railway completed its first steam engine in August 2016. Levenmouth Leisure Centre, at
#732267