Leven, Fife
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- For other places with the same name, see Leven (disambiguation).
| Leven, Fife | |
|---|---|
| Scots: | Leven |
| Location | |
| OS grid reference: | NO384007 |
| Statistics | |
| Population: | 8,051 |
| Administration | |
| Council area: | Fife |
| Constituent country: | Scotland |
| Sovereign state: | United Kingdom |
| Other | |
| Police force: | Fife Constabulary |
| Lieutenancy area: | Fife |
| Former county: | Fife |
| Post office and telephone | |
| Post town: | KIRKCALDY |
| Postal district: | KY8 4xx |
| Dialling code: | 01333 |
| Politics | |
| Scottish Parliament: | Fife Central |
| UK Parliament: | Glenrothes/North East Fife |
| European Parliament: | Scotland |
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Leven is a seaside town in Fife, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth at the mouth of the River Leven, at . Its population in the 2001 census was just over 8,000. On the coast immediately south-west of Leven are Methil and Buckhaven. The three towns form a small conurbation which had a combined population of just over 24,000 in the 2001 census.
Contents |
[edit] History
Leven was formerly an administrative Burgh.
In 1854 the Leven Railway opened, linking the town with Thornton Junction on the Kirkcaldy - Perth main line. This helped it to become a tourist resort popular with visitors from the west of Scotland, and particularly Glasgow. Later in the 19th century the Leven Railway became part of a loop line of the North British Railway linking Thornton Junction and Leuchars Junction via St Andrews. The railway between Leven and St Andrews closed in 1964/65. The railway between Leven and Thornton Junction closed to freight in 1966 and passengers in 1969.
[edit] Leisure & tourism
What remains of the tourist industry in this area probably revolves around golf. Leven boasts two golf courses, Scoonie and Leven Links - the latter being used as a qualifying course for The Open when the tournament is being played at the Old Course at St Andrews. There are also several other good golf courses in the surrounding area notably Lundin Links, Elie and Crail.
[edit] Economic Activity
The area now becoming known as "Levenmouth" is a virtual backwater and in desperate need of regeneration. Levenmouth suffers from poor connections to the rail and main road network of Central Scotland, particularly since the closure of the last railway link in 1969, which came at the same time as the collapse of coal mining. The knock-on effect virtually sealed the fate of Methil Docks as a major port on the East of Scotland. There has been a number of unsuccessful attempts to restore a passenger rail connection to Leven, but as yet no progress has been made. The main road through Fife, the A92, bypasses this area of Fife, the 4th largest conurbation, whereas Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes all have good road and rail connections.
Very little remains in the way of major employment since the closure of the coal mining industry. The major employer now is the drinks manufacturer Diageo which has its main bottling plant in the town, and one of the largest distilleries in the world at nearby Windygates. There is hopefully some light on the horizon in the proposed Fife Energy Park which is to utilise the former oil-rig building yard in Methil which was itself built on the former Wellesley Colliery. On the North side of the Forth, there is talk of starting a ferry service to Edinburgh, and this may help to revitalise the area and increase house prices which at the moment are among the lowest in Scotland.
Leven is twinned with the German town of Holzminden.
[edit] External links
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