The Methil Docks are situated in Methil, Fife, Scotland, on the northern shores of the Firth of Forth. Historically, the docks served as a port for the transport of coal cargoes. However, since the decline of the mining industry of Fife, the port now specialises as a wood pulp and timber distribution centre.
No. 1 dock was built by Cunningham, Blythe and Westland and completed May 1887. [1] No.2 dock was completed in January 1900 [1] and No. 3 dock was built by Sir Robert McAlpine and completed in 1913. [2] No.3 dock closed in 1977. [1] Plans in the early 2000s to convert the area into a network of restaurants and social space fell through due to a lack of funds. The project, provisionally named Methil Ramblas, would have included al fresco dining, cafes, and open-air fitness sessions.
Methil is an eastern coastal town in Scotland. It was first recorded as "Methkil" in 1207, and belonged to the Bishop of St Andrews. Two Bronze Age cemeteries have been discovered which date the settlement as over 8,000 years old. Famous for its High Street that used to have the most pubs per mile in Scotland, it was part of its own barony in 1614 and also part of the former burgh of Buckhaven and Methil. This burgh existed between 1891 and 1975. It is situated within a continuous urban area described as Levenmouth.
Alfred McAlpine plc was a British construction firm headquartered in Hooton, Cheshire. It was a major road builder, and constructed over 10% of Britain's motorways, including the M6 Toll. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired by Carillion in 2008.
Levenmouth is a conurbation comprising a network of settlements on the north side of the Firth of Forth, in Fife on the east coast of Scotland. It consists of three principal coastal towns; Leven, Buckhaven, and Methil, and a number of villages and hamlets inland. The industrial towns of Buckhaven and Methil lie on the west bank of the River Leven, and the resort town of Leven is on the east bank. The "Bawbee Bridge" links the two sides of the river. Historically, Buckhaven and Methil were joined together as one burgh, while Leven was separate. The area had an estimated population of 37,238 in 2006.
Sir Robert McAlpine Limited is a family-owned building and civil engineering company based in Hemel Hempstead, England. It carries out engineering and construction in the infrastructure, heritage, commercial, arena and stadium, healthcare, education and nuclear sectors.
The Port of Tilbury is a port on the River Thames at Tilbury in Essex, England. It is the principal port for London, as well as being the main United Kingdom port for handling the importation of paper. There are extensive facilities for containers, grain, and other bulk cargoes. There are also facilities for the importation of cars. It forms part of the wider Port of London.
West Wemyss is a village lying on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, in Fife, Scotland. According to the 2007 population estimate, the village has a population of 237. The village was granted burgh of barony status in 1525, bearing the name from the Wemyss family who lived in Wemyss Castle.
The Port of Grimsby is located on the south bank of the Humber Estuary at Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire. Sea trade out of Grimsby dates to at least the medieval period. The Grimsby Haven Company began dock development in the late 1700s, and the port was further developed from the 1840s onwards by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MSLR) and its successors. The port has had three main dock systems:
Empire Cheer was a 7,297 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1943 by William Doxford & Sons Ltd, Sunderland. She was built for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and completed in July 1943. After the Second World War she was sold to her managers, Sir William Reardon Smith & Sons Ltd, who renamed her Cornish City. On 8 December 1962 she suffered an engine room fire, after which she was scrapped in March 1963.
Empire Crossbill was a 5,463 GRT Design 1013 cargo ship that was completed in 1919 by Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Drydock Company, San Pedro, California, United States for the United States Shipping Board (USSB). She was transferred to the United States Maritime Commission (USMC) in 1937 and the Ministry of Transport (MoT) in 1941, serving until she was torpedoed and sunk on 11 September 1941 by U-82 in the Atlantic Ocean while a member of Convoy SC 42.
Empire Dew was a 7,005 GRT Cargo ship that was built in 1940 by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was torpedoed and sunk by U-48 in 1941.
Empire Drum was a 7,244 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1941 by William Doxford & Sons Ltd, Sunderland, Co Durham, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). Completed in March 1942, she had a short career, being torpedoed and sunk on 24 April 1942 by U-136.
Norjerv was a 5,583 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1919 as West Islip by Ames Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co, Seattle, Washington, United States for the United States Shipping Board (USSB). In 1928, she was sold and renamed Golden Rod. A further sale in 1935 saw her renamed Willhilo. She was renamed Indianan after a sale in 1937. In 1940, she was transferred to the Ministry of Supply (MoS) and renamed Empire Eagle, passing later that year to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). In 1942, she was transferred to the Norwegian Government and renamed Norjerv, serving until June 1944 when she was transferred to the British Government. In July 1944, she was sunk as a blockship at Juno Beach, Calvados, France to reinforce Gooseberry 4.
Empire Explorer was a 5,985 GRT cargo ship that was built as the cargo liner Inanda in 1925 by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, United Kingdom for a British shipping line. She was hired by the Royal Navy in 1940 for use as an ocean boarding vessel but was sunk in an air raid London in September 1940. She was salvaged, rebuilt as a cargo ship, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Explorer. She served until 9 July 1942, when she was torpedoed and sunk by U-575 in the West Indies.
The Wemyss Private Railway was a network of lines, sometimes known as the Wemyss Estate Railway. The lines were a group of mineral and other railways in Fife, Scotland, mainly on the land of the Wemyss family. They were built to connect coal pits to harbours and the railway network, for the use of tenants of the Estate. The Wemyss and Buckhaven Railway was built at the expense of the Wemyss Estate and carried passengers; it was later sold to the North British Railway.
Inchearn was a 7,024 GRT refrigerated cargo ship that was built as Empire Flag in 1943 by Sir W G Armstrong, Whitworth & Co (Shipbuilders) Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was sold in 1946 and renamed Carmia. A further sale in 1954 saw her renamed Victoria Star. In 1955, she was sold to Hong Kong and renamed Inchearn. She served until 1966 when she was scrapped.
The Bulgari Hotel and Residences is a luxury hotel in Knightsbridge, London. When it opened in 2012, it was the most expensive hotel in London, and the penthouse apartment sold for $157 million.
The Wemyss Estate Railway was a group of mineral and other railways in Fife, Scotland, mainly on the land of the Wemyss family. The lines were built to connect coal pits to harbours and the railway network, for the use of tenants of the Estate. The Wemyss and Buckhaven Railway was built at the expense of the Wemyss Estate and carried passengers; it was later sold to the North British Railway.
Wemyss is a civil parish on the south coast of Fife, Scotland, lying on the Firth of Forth. It is bounded on the north-east by the parish of Scoonie and the south-west by the parish of Kirkcaldy and Dysart and its length from south-west to north-east is about 6 miles. Inland it is bounded by Markinch and its greatest breadth is 2+1⁄4 miles.
Methil railway station served the village of Methil, Fife, Scotland, from 1887 to 1955 on the Leven Extension Railway.