Welcome to Burntisland Heritage Trust
 
The aim of the Trust is to protect and promote
all aspects of Burntisland's heritage.

Please see below for:
  
Heritage Exhibition    Guided Walks    Other Activities    Appeal for Old Photos
     For more information on the exhibitions and walks, please contact the Convenor of Burntisland Heritage Trust, Ian Archibald (telephone 01592 873557 or ) (or contact via webmaster).

Heritage Exhibition 2020
"Portrait of a Town - Burntisland Through the Ages”

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 29 MARCH 2020: THE 2020 EXHIBITION MAY BE SHORTENED OR POSTPONED. UPDATES WILL APPEAR HERE AS AND WHEN THE SITUATION BECOMES CLEARER.

    In 2020 Burntisland Heritage will be presenting an extensive illustrated exhibition showing the town and surrounding area from earlier times to the present day. The exhibition will comprise a variety of over 100 images displaying the town's rich built, social, industrial and natural heritage. The theme will be designed to tie in with the national Year of Coasts and Waters by incorporating the Fife Coastal Path and the Inner and Outer Heritage Trails.
    The display is a continuation of summer exhibitions which have been bringing the community together attracting thousands of visitors from the town, region, country and overseas for more than two decades.
    As part of their Curriculum for Excellence the local primary school as well as other civic groups are invited, with ongoing visits to the exhibitions.
    The purpose of this exhibition is to promote wellbeing and civic pride in the community by illustrating the rich diversity of the place where they live. The planning, design, compilation and staffing of the exhibition are carried out entirely by volunteers from the community. Admission to the exhibition will be free.
    The exhibition will run from mid June to the end of September, and full details of opening hours etc will appear here as soon as they have been finalised. [CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 29 MARCH 2020: THE 2020 EXHIBITION MAY BE SHORTENED OR POSTPONED. UPDATES WILL APPEAR HERE AS AND WHEN THE SITUATION BECOMES CLEARER.]

Guided Historical Walks 2020

The summer 2020 programme of guided historical walks round the inner and outer heritage trails will be posted here when it has been finalised.

Other Heritage Trust Activities

Presentations - the Trust's Convenor regularly undertakes talks on the following subjects:
    * Burntisland's Gifts and Treasures.
    * The Search for the Lost Treasure of King Charles I.
    * Shipwrecks of the Forth and Beyond.
    * Island Jewels of the Forth.
    * Mary Somerville.
    * The Lewis Chessmen Unmasked
    * A Revolution in Mapping: History of the Ordnance Survey.
    * The Man Who Told the Truth: The story of the Orcadian explorer Dr John Rae who discovered the missing link
         to the North West Passage and is arguably the greatest of all Arctic Explorers.
    * The Vasa Story: The mighty warship Vasa capsized and sank in Stockholm in 1628 after sailing for only two hours.
         After 333 years on the sea bed the warship was salvaged and the voyage continues today as the Vasa is the
         only intact preserved 17th century ship in the world and is the most visited museum in Scandinavia.
The presentations are undertaken specifically to raise funds for the work of Burntisland Heritage Trust and a donation to the trust is always appreciated. Please contact Ian Archibald on 01592 873557.

The Trust was the lead organisation in the Kirkton Church restoration project (link opens in a new tab or window).

The Trust has produced a number of books and publications, most of which are still available - please see our 'Publications for Sale' page and our 'Heritage Trails Leaflet' page.

Heritage Trust projects include the erection of two comprehensive commemoration panels in the town; and an oral history programme, recording the memories of the town's older residents for posterity.

In a joint venture in 2007, Burntisland Heritage Trust and the Arsenal Scotland Supporters Club erected a plaque to commemorate David Danskin, the founder and first captain of Arsenal Football Club - please see the David Danskin Commemoration Plaque page. In a similar venture in 2008, the Trust joined with the Institution of Civil Engineers to erect a plaque to commemorate William Bald, the pioneering 19th century cartographer, surveyor and civil engineer - please see the William Bald Commemoration Plaque page.

In 2013, Burntisland Heritage Trust was given permission to digitally copy the Erskine Church's older Kirk Session records and all of its newsletters to add to the Trust's local collections. Please click here for full details.

In 2019, the Trust was able to secure funding to allow it to go ahead with the restoration of three important Burntisland paintings, two by Andrew Young and one by S. Humble. Please click here for full details.

The Trust's activities include the search for King Charles I's baggage ferry, the'Blessing', which sank off Burntisland in 1633 - please click here for the search timeline from 1997 to date.

Please click here to see a summary of all the Trust's activities and associated time line from 1993 to 2019.

Appeal for Old Photos

Burntisland Heritage Trust are always on the lookout for old Burntisland photos - in particular interesting photos from family archives, which might be of workplaces, buildings, streets, shops, sports, people, etc. Please (or use contact page) if you can help.