Thornton
| |
---|---|
Main Street, Thornton | |
Location within Fife | |
Population | 2,040 (2022) [1] |
OS grid reference | NT288974 |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | KIRKCALDY |
Postcode district | KY1 |
Dialling code | 01592 |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Thornton (Scots : Thorntoun) [2] is a village in Fife, Scotland. It is between Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes, and stands between the River Ore and Lochty Burn, [3] which are at opposite ends of the main street. The Church of Scotland parish church was built in 1835 and is located on the Main Street. [4]
Thornton has an active community council. Thornton Community Council meet on the first Monday of the month in Thornton Bowling Club. These meetings are open to any member of the public with local residents specifically encouraged to attend. Ward Councillors from Fife Council also attend as ex-officio members of the community council along with representatives from Police Scotland's Community Policing Team to discuss local issues.
The village has a small railway station, which is called Glenrothes with Thornton. Although situated at the south end of Thornton, it also serves the Glenrothes area. This rail halt was opened in May 1992, restoring a rail service to Thornton lost when its main line railway station closed in October 1969 [3] as a consequence of the 1963 report by Dr Richard Beeching on the Reshaping of British Railways (the Beeching Report). The railway station name is misleading as Thornton is not part of Glenrothes, whose town centre is 3.5 miles away from the station, resulting in travellers bound for Glenrothes alighting in Thornton thinking they have reached their final destination.
The village is well served by local buses, operated by Stagecoach Group in Fife and running between Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes. However, express services providing travel further afield bypass Thornton.
Thornton Junction railway station was opened in the 1840s on the Edinburgh and Northern Railway. [5] During the first part of the twentieth century, Thornton Junction railway station was situated on the Aberdeen to London main line to the east of the village, at the end of Station Road. To the west, alongside the Dunfermline line, the largest railway marshalling yard in Scotland was built during the 1950s. Though much reduced, this yard is still in use for rail freight services.
In 1957, the Rothes Pit was opened to mine the coal in the rural hinterland surrounding the village. [3] This coal mine was tied very closely to the development of the postwar new town of Glenrothes to the north. [6] The planned long-term benefits were to be huge, and were to be the driver for economic regeneration in Central Fife. In 1961, four years after opening, the huge investment was written off and the mine run down because of unstemmable flooding, and closed in May 1962. [7] Ironically, miners who had worked in older deep pits in the area had forewarned against the development of the Rothes Pit for this very reason. The state-of-the art engineering and design was closed, leaving the huge enclosed concrete wheel-towers standing at Thornton for many years as a forlorn symbol of the collapse until 1993, when the towers were demolished.
The village is home to the football club Thornton Hibs who compete in the East of Scotland League First Division and play at Memorial Park.
In season 2007–08, Thornton Hibs reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Junior Cup, only to be beaten 3-0 by Cumnock after extra time; the Hibs had been reduced to ten men, losing their goalkeeper, in the 89th minute when the score was 0-0.
The village also has its own 18-hole golf course and bowling club.
The village used to hold a Highland Games annually every July. The event is not currently held as the organising committee have become inactive.
Thornton is also the birthplace of Sir George Sharp, [8] a Labour politician who led the battle against local government reforms in the 1970s.
Thornton has a small (5 MegaWatt) solar farm.
Fife is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire. By custom it is widely held to have been one of the major Pictish kingdoms, known as Fib, and is still commonly known as the Kingdom of Fife within Scotland. A person from Fife is known as a Fifer. In older documents the county was very occasionally known by the anglicisation Fifeshire.
Glenrothes is a town situated in the heart of Fife, in east-central Scotland. It had a population of 39,277 in the 2011 census, making it the third largest settlement in Fife and the 18th most populous locality in Scotland. Glenrothes is the administrative capital of Fife, containing the headquarters of both Fife Council and Police Scotland Fife Division and is a major service centre within the area.
Leven is a seaside town in Fife, set in the east Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the coast of the Firth of Forth at the mouth of the River Leven, 8.1 miles (13.0 km) north-east of the town of Kirkcaldy and 6.4 miles (10.3 km) east of Glenrothes.
The Fife Circle Line is the local rail service north from Edinburgh. It links towns of south Fife and the coastal towns along the Firth of Forth before heading to Edinburgh. Operationally, the service is not strictly a circle route, but, rather, a point to point service that reverses at the Edinburgh end, and has a large bi-directional balloon loop at the Fife end.
South Gyle railway station is a railway station serving South Gyle in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland. The station was opened on 9 May 1985 by ScotRail alongside new housing in the area, and is located on the Fife Circle Line, 4+1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) west of Edinburgh Waverley. It has two platforms. There is a ticket machine and a shelter on each platform.
North Queensferry railway station is a railway station in the village of North Queensferry, Fife, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Fife Circle Line, 11+1⁄4 miles (18.1 km) northwest of Edinburgh Waverley.
Inverkeithing railway station serves the town of Inverkeithing in Fife, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Fife Circle Line, 10 miles (16 km) north west of Edinburgh Waverley. The station is popular with commuters travelling to Edinburgh from Fife and beyond, thanks to its location beside the M90 motorway.
Dalgety Bay railway station serves the town of Dalgety Bay in Fife, Scotland. Lying on the Fife Circle and EdinburghーDundee lines, it is managed by ScotRail. It is currently the nearest railway station to Fordell Firs Camp site, the Scottish national headquarters for The Scout Association in Scotland, part of Scouting in Scotland.
Aberdour railway station is a railway station in the village of Aberdour, Fife, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Fife Circle Line.
Burntisland railway station is a railway station in the town of Burntisland, Fife, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Fife Circle Line.
Kinghorn railway station is a railway station in the town of Kinghorn, Fife, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Fife Circle Line, 22+3⁄4 miles (36.6 km) north east of Edinburgh Waverley.
Kirkcaldy railway station is a railway station in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Fife Circle Line and principal East Coast Main Line, 26 miles (42 km) north east of Edinburgh Waverley. British Transport Police maintain a small office on Platform 1.
Glenrothes with Thornton railway station is located in Thornton in Fife, Scotland. It serves the communities of Thornton and Glenrothes. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Fife Circle Line, 31+1⁄4 miles (50.3 km) north of Edinburgh Waverley.
Cardenden railway station is a railway station in Cardenden, Fife, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Fife Circle Line, 27 miles (43 km) north of Edinburgh Waverley. It opened to traffic in 1848, on the Dunfermline Branch of the Edinburgh and Northern Railway.
Lochgelly railway station is a railway station in Lochgelly, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Fife Circle Line, 25 miles (40 km) north of Edinburgh Waverley.
Cowdenbeath railway station is a railway station in the town of Cowdenbeath, Fife, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Fife Circle Line, 22+1⁄2 miles (36.2 km) north of Edinburgh Waverley.
Markinch is both a village and a parish in the heart of Fife, Scotland. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the village has a population of 2,420. The civil parish had a population of 16,530. Markinch is east of Fife's administrative centre, Glenrothes and preceded Cupar as Fife's place of warranty and justice prior to the 13th century.
Coaltown of Balgonie is a village of 1,059 people in south central Fife. It is located on the B9130 road, next to the new town of Glenrothes. Coaltown has a premier shop, a pub, the Balgonie Arms, a bowling green, Balgonie Bowling Club, a village hall, the Victoria Hall, an undertakers, and a garage, Balgonie Motors. There is a playpark for children beside the primary school. Opposite the school is the football pitch for local team, Balgonie Scotia AFC.
Leslie is a large village and parish on the northern tip of the River Leven Valley, to the west of Glenrothes in Fife. According to the population estimates (2006), the village has a population of 3,092. The village was granted burgh of barony status by James II in 1458 for George Leslie who became the first Earl of Rothes. Later, this was upgraded to a police burgh in 1865.
The Levenmouth rail link is a recently reopened 5 miles (8 km) branch line railway in Fife, Scotland. The link connects the town of Leven and other settlements in the Levenmouth conurbation with Thornton, and joins the Fife Circle Line at Thornton North Junction. The line was promoted by Fife Council and the South East Scotland Transport Partnership (SESTRAN). The plan was approved by the Scottish Government on 8 August 2019. The line was formally opened by the First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, on 29 May 2024. Scheduled passenger services began on 2 June 2024.
Media related to Thornton, Fife at Wikimedia Commons