St. Monans, a quaint village on Scotland's Fife coast with historic church.



St. Monans Church, Fife, Scotland

This evening, I am posting information on the attractive small village of St. Monans which is located in the East Neuk of Fife, about fifty miles N.E. of Edinburgh.

Key facts and information:
  • Named after an early Christian saint (or missionary) named Monan who was killed by Vikings around AD 875.
  • The parish church dates from the 14th century and is located close to the sea. This building has recently featured in the Railway Man film starring Colin Firth.
  • Historically, fishing was the main industry. The wealth from this and other trading activities financed building of local houses which feature distinctive local architecture styles and date from the 17th-19th centuries.
  • In common with other sites along this coast, salt panning was an important industry in medieval times. Close to St Monans is a now defunct, but preserved, windmill used in the 18th and 19th centuries for pumping water used in the salt industry. This building is accessible to visitors.
  • Current population is about 1350.
  • Boat building was an important industry for a couple of centuries, but this ceased in the 1970s.

St. Monans Harbour, Fife, Scotland


St. Monans Harbour, Fife, Scotland


Former Saltpan, St. Monans, Scotland


St. Monans Windmill, Fife, Scotland

St. Monans is a ‘must see’ in course of a tour of the Fife Coast.

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