Buckhaven
Fife

A small town in Wemyss Parish, Fife, Buckhaven is situated on the Firth of Forth between East Wemyss and Methil, forming the western part of the Methil-Leven conurbation.

Once a thriving weaving village and fishing port, it was reported as having in 1831 the second-largest fishing fleet in Scotland with a total of 198 boats. The fishing declined during the 19th Century but in the 1860s Buckhaven developed as a mining town. Well-designed housing was built by the Wemyss Coal Company in the early 20th century. Although coal waste blackened its beaches and silted up its harbour it later became a Fife coast holiday resort.

Said to be descended from Norsemen who settled there in the 9th century, its fisherfolk bought an Episcopal Church in St Andrews in 1869 and transported it stone by stone to Buckhaven. Restored in the 1980s, this building was turned into a theatre.

Buckhaven Museum features the history of the fishing industry and other temporary exhibitions.

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