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Kirkcaldy

KirkcaldyLarge burghsMining communities in FifePages including recorded pronunciationsPopulated coastal places in Scotland
Royal burghsTowns in FifeUse British English from January 2013
Kirkcaldy collage2
Kirkcaldy collage2

Kirkcaldy ( kur-KAW-dee; Scots: Kirkcaldy; Scottish Gaelic: Cair Chaladain) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about 11.6 miles (19 km) north of Edinburgh and 27.6 miles (44 km) south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, making it Fife's second-largest settlement and the 12th most populous settlement in Scotland. Kirkcaldy has long been nicknamed the Lang Toun (; Scots for "long town") in reference to the early town's 0.9-mile (1.4 km) main street, as indicated on maps from the 16th and 17th centuries. The street would finally reach a length of nearly 4 miles (6.4 km), connecting the burgh to the neighbouring settlements of Linktown, Pathhead, Sinclairtown and Gallatown, which became part of the town in 1876. The formerly separate burgh of Dysart was also later absorbed into Kirkcaldy in 1930 under an act of Parliament. The area around Kirkcaldy has been inhabited since the Bronze Age. The first document to refer to the town is from 1075, when Malcolm III granted the settlement to the church of Dunfermline. David I later gave the burgh to Dunfermline Abbey, which had succeeded the church: a status which was officially recognised by Robert I in 1327. The town only gained its independence from Abbey rule when it was created a royal burgh by Charles I in 1644. From the early 16th century, the establishment of a harbour at the East Burn confirmed the town's early role as an important trading port. The town also began to develop around the salt, coal mining and nail making industries. The production of linen which followed in 1672 was later instrumental in the introduction of floorcloth in 1847 by linen manufacturer, Michael Nairn. In 1877 this in turn contributed to linoleum, which became the town's most successful industry: Kirkcaldy was a world producer until well into the mid-1960s. The town expanded considerably in the 1950s and 1960s, though the decline of the linoleum industry and other manufacturing restricted its growth thereafter. Today, the town is a major service centre for the central Fife area. Public facilities include a main leisure centre, theatre, museum and art gallery, three public parks and an ice rink. Kirkcaldy is also known as the birthplace of social philosopher and economist Adam Smith who wrote his magnum opus The Wealth of Nations in the town. In the early 21st century, employment is dominated by the service sector: the biggest employer in the town is PayWizard, formerly known as MGT plc (call centre). Other main employers include NHS Fife, Forbo (linoleum and vinyl floor coverings), Fife College, Whitworths (flour millers) and Smith Anderson (paper making).

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Kirkcaldy (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Kirkcaldy
Abbotshall Road,

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N 56.11073 ° E -3.16737 °
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Abbotshall Road
KY1 1RS , Linktown
Scotland, United Kingdom
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Kirkcaldy collage2
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Kirkcaldy Galleries
Kirkcaldy Galleries

Kirkcaldy Galleries is the main museum, library and exhibition space in Kirkcaldy in Fife, Scotland. The land for the town's museum and art gallery was donated by John Nairn (the grandson of the linoleum manufacturer, Michael Nairn) on the former site of Balsusney House, the home of John Maxton. This was opened in 1925, with the first chairman of trustees local cloth-manufacturer businessman John Blyth, the maternal grandfather of politician Michael Portillo. The art gallery holds the largest collection of paintings by William McTaggart and Scottish Colourist Samuel Peploe aside from the National Galleries of Scotland. The museum contains many significant works by the Glasgow Boys. Situated on the ground floor, is the museum's award-winning permanent exhibition covering the town's industrial heritage. The museum also has a cafe which displays examples of Wemyss Ware pottery, made in the town from around the 1890s to 1930s.In 2012 Fife Council undertook a £2.5m refurbishment of the building, which reopened in June 2013. It now contains a museum, library, children's library, PC suite, cafe, gift shop, meeting rooms, museum, local family and history rooms and gallery spaces. The Galleries opening was attended by local author Val McDermid, Wolf from Gladiators, MP and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and artist Jack Vettriano. In 2015, Kirkcaldy Galleries became the first institution in Fife to display work by American photographer Diane Arbus.The Great Tapestry of Scotland was displayed at the Galleries in 2015 where the Rosslyn Chapel panel, one of 160 panels, was stolen. It was not recovered and a replacement panel was completed in 2017.