Memories of Willie Rankine
Willie Rankine (1890-1976) operated the family joinery business from the workshop at Woodhaven pier. His grandfather William Buist had started the business in 1875. With the death of his mother when he was an infant, Willie grew up with his grand-parents at Woodhaven. Willie had a lifelong interest in the local area and its history. Here are some of his memories.
“My grandfather and granny, their two sons and five daughters joined the Newport Free Church when they left St Andrews and settled down in Woodhaven in 1875. Rev Neil McLeod married the two oldest daughters and officiated at my mother’s funeral at Tayport in August 1890. I would start going to church when I was about 5 years old and the pew in the gallery left hand side near the front was filled every Sunday. I remember well there were two low phaetons waiting on the church coming out every Sunday, one was for Miss Rhind from Woodhaven Farm and driven by her maid Bella Allen and the other for Thomas Smith and Mrs Smith Inverdovat and driven by his shepherd Davie Robertson (coming home on leave in 1917). The last train to Fife from Dundee was at 9 o’clock so had to get off at Leuchars and there was Davie Roberston with the same phaeton waiting on Mr Smith who had been to Edinburgh so I got a lift to Kirk Road. We had a horse wagonette but it was only taken out on a Sunday when there was a coffin to go out. I remember Rev Dr McLeod on his visits – we all had to go into the parlour to meet him.
“Wormit and Woodhaven letters were delivered by Andrew Motion Postmaster at Gauldry. He came down to Newport Post Office with his horse and van to collect the mail and his round started at Fishers Cottage, Woodhaven and right on to Balmerino and Gauldry with all the farms en route. I had an auntie who lived at Bottomcraig and I used to get a lift up with him pretty often. I don’t know when Wormit Post Office opened but it must have been around 1897. About that time there would have been no more than 50 to 60 houses in Wormit and only 16 houses in Woodhaven including the Toll House, Mars Cottage which was an inn and the farm house. Wormit started to grow after the second railway bridge was opened and houses went up steady after that. There is a quarry fully a mile to the west side of the bridge and that was used to get stones for the foundations of the bridge piers. There was a barge filled at the quarry and towed down at high tide and anchored opposite the pier and the men dropped the stones into the water.
“There was no school at Wormit, I started in Newport for two years then Stewart Hall Wormit was which was not long built opened as a school so I went there until the Wormit School was opened in 1898. Woodhaven had a brewery and a large bakery. Their vans went as far as St Andrews and Cupar. The building, now houses, still gets called Brewery Houses.
“Salmon fishing was at one time largely engaged on the Forgan Strip at Woodhaven and in one season alone 7000 salmon were caught in one net. I used to go out in a coble (type of open traditional fishing boat) with my grandfather and Tom Watson (who had a plasterer’s business) at night. You went out one hour before high tide and dropped the net, then it had to be lifted at the turn of the tide and there was always a few salmon so all the people in Woodhaven got their ration.”
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