Daniel Gilson says

Hi there,

Can anyone tell me if 248 Oakfield Street which is now flats used to be the old Viewfield Dairy?

My mother's mum used to live there.

It's the building right next to where the old railway used to run..

Regards,
Daniel in Kent

Aileen Wood says

Has anyone got any school pictures from Kelty Primary school in the 1960s?I used to attend this school then and have lost all my photographs. I used to live in Burnside Place Kelty.

Kind Regards
Aileen Wood

Alex Rowley says

Aileen, Fife Council have an Archive Centre which you can find on the council web site www.fifedirect.org.uk go to Fife Council and then Archive or phone 01592 583352 and they have lots of old photos from schools.

John Bearcat-Redmond says

I'd like to see some old photos of the childrens gala in late 50s.

Aileen Wood says

Alex thanks for the info, i will have a look

John Redmond says

Ref Mr Gilson, In one of the booklets published on Kelty shows a photograph of the houses before where the flats were built, There wasnt any railway line down that part of Oakfield, the railway line was down the Black road where old fire station was, Keltys only dairies, was "Coo Jeans" where union street comes out to cocklaw, Jeans shop was at front of Dairy, in fact Watsons Brewery was all in same area and the Buttercup Dairy Company whose shop was next door one up from Sinclairs New papershop,The Buttercup shop was taken over by a Central Heating company.any other dairys were on farms, Tommy Thomsons at Kirkobeath Farm.

pam mann says

Hello John,

I am interested in your reference to Watsons Brewery.

My great grandfather was George Watson who owned the Glow Works (aerated water manufacturer) in Kelty.

My father says he can remember a photo with draught horses and a wagon with a Watsons Brewery sign on it. We thought he must be mistaken as we have only been able to link the Glow Works to our great grandfather.

Can you please let me know if you have any further information on who owned the Brewery and the years of operation.

William Everett says

Aileen, I used to play in Burnside Pl as a kid in the 60's. Along with John, Shirley, lyn Cochrane, Ian Bowie, David Anthony, Gordon, Heather Hatton, Massie Low, Cara Watson to name just a few.

john sharp says

john sharp hi there i was born 1946 in nasmyth place no 86 i am interested in any photos of oakfield junior secondary school 1959 --1961

john sharp says

i was born in nasmyth place 1946, i am interested in any old photos of oakfield junior secondary 1959--1961

John Redmond says

I tried hard but couldnt ever find much reference to the brewery the bottles I dug down the old gas works midden, when researching victorian and edwardian social history in Kelty and Cowdenbeath and came upon the jet black beer bottles of Geo Watson Glo Works Kelty and Cowdenbeath it had a fish as trademark.

I always meant to seek more about it, by going through old copies of the Dunfermline press for 1900s and seeing if they advertised or any ref to them.also to check Fife Council archives to see when paid taxes etc,I always wanted them to have an old stone ginger beer.

with fish trademark would be extremely rare and many collectors pay high price for it.

Many old early middens with refuse dump will have lots of Kelty history in.just as Kelty had many dairies cream came in small transferred decorated jars also rare.Good interesting subject for Kelty Historians and teenagers of local schools.

Sandra Brasell says

Hi John and Pam Mann - Re: Watson's Brewery - the Glow Works

My great grandfather was William Watson - George Watson's brother.  William and George purchased a property in Cowdenbeath together in March 1897 where they started the Mayfield Aerated Water Works. By July 1897 George had signed over his share to William (I have a copy of the Disposition from The National Archives of Scotland).  William continued with the Mayfield Aerated Water Works until he emigrated to New Zealand in 1906.  In 1899 George signed a Feu Charter for a "piece of ground part of the lands of Cocklaw ... lying in the Village of Oakfield in the Parish of Beath" and paid the sum of three pounds eight shillings and sixpence sterling yearly.  In June 1902 he signed a Disposition in favour of Thomas Cook.  The Valuation Rolls show George Watson, bottler continued as tenant of the Glow Works property until 1908.