Harbour, St Andrews - Ref: WC2204
This photograph by Alexander Wilson shows the port in St Andrews, Fife. The original town harbour was at the mouth of the Motray burn, near what is today Guardbridge. The harbour today lies at the east end of the town beneath the cathedral ruins.
Until the 1920s, coasting vessels used to bring cargos of timber and potatoes ashore in St Andrews, but nowadays it is a minor fishing port, with some pleasure craft also using the bay for protection from the often wild North Sea.
The twin towers of the cathedral can be made out in the left background. The building work took from 1161 until 1318. Part of the roof was destroyed by a fire in 1378. In 1559, followers of reformer John Knox destroyed the magnificent building.
Alexander Wilson who took this photograph, was a supervisor in a Dundee jute mill for over 20 years. He bequeathed much of his collection and £50, to cover the costs involved, to the Free Library Committee of Dundee in 1923.