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Anstruther

Anstruther (pronounced /ˈeɪnstər/) (Enster in Scots, Eanstar in Scottish Gaelic and also meaning Little Stream) is a small town in Fife, Scotland. The two Anstruthers are divided by a small stream called Dreel Burn. Anstruther lies 9 miles south-southeast of St Andrews. It is the largest community on the stretch of north-shore coastline of the Firth of Forth known as the East Neuk, with a population of about 3,500 people. The village of Cellardyke forms an easterly extension of Anstruther.

Description

It was originally a fishing village, and is home to the Scottish Fisheries Museum, but its main industry is now tourism, although other small scale manufacturing and service industries continue. Pleasure craft now moor in the harbour, and there is a golf course. The Waid Academy, the local state comprehensive school, is often a focus of the community and through its secondary role as a community centre offers a wide range of activities & sports, and hosts entertainment for young and old. Sports Hall, Gym, Swimming pool etc are also situated here and open to public use.

It has a double award-winning fish and chip shop, Anstruther Fish Bar, which won Fish and Chip shop of the year in 2001-2002 & was awarded the same prize once again, by Sea Fish Organisation, in 2009. The many famous names from Anstruther include religious thinker and leader Thomas Chalmers, sports writer Graham Speirs, and was the childhood home of BBC Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman.

Notable inhabitants

James Melville, nephew of the more celebrated reformer, Andrew Melville, who was minister of Kilrenny, has given in his Diary a graphic account of the arrival at Anstruther of a weatherbound ship of the Armada, and the tradition of the intermixture of Spanish and Fife blood still prevails in the district.^{[clarification needed]} Anstruther fair supplied William Tennant, who was born and buried in the town, with the subject of his poem of "Anster Fair." Sir James Lumsden, a soldier of fortune under Gustavus Adolphus, who distinguished himself in the Thirty Years' War, was born in the parish of Kilrenny about 1598. David Martin (1737-1798), the painter and engraver; Thomas Chalmers, the great divine; and John Goodsir, the anatomist, were natives of Anstruther. Archibald Constable, Sir Walter Scott's publisher, was born in the parish of Carnbee, about 3 miles to the north of Pittenweem. Sir Robert Hamilton Bruce Lockhart 1887 - 1970, director-general of the Political Warfare Executive during World War II was also born in Anstruther. Anstruther has also become known as the base for the Fence Collective, a network of nu-folk musicians.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the town was also the home to The Beggar's Benison, a gentlemen's club devoted to "the convivial celebration of male sexuality".^[1]

Politics

Anstruther is in the North East Fife UK Parliament constituency (MP is currently Sir Menzies Campbell), Fife North East Scottish Parliament constituency (MSP is currently Iain Smith) as well as the Mid-Scotland and Fife Scottish Parliamentary region and the Scotland European Parliament constituency. In local politics the ward of East Neuk and Landward in the Fife Council is represented by a number of councillors elected under the Single Transferable Vote system.

The Secret Bunker

Following the end of the Cold War, one of Anstruther's best kept secrets has become a major tourist attraction. A secret Nuclear Bunker, located near the village and beneath what during its operational lifetime was an ordinary looking domestic dwelling, has been renovated and is now open to the public as a museum.^[2] The bunker was a subsidiary Regional Seat of Government in time of Nuclear emergency and would have been occupied by UK Armed Forces, UKWMO, Royal Observer Corps, and other Civil Service personnel.

References

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

External links

Anstruther Community Website

Anstruther on FifeDirect