Jamestown is a hamlet in Fife, Scotland. It is contiguous with North Queensferry and Inverkeithing, and is northwest of Edinburgh city centre.
Located on the south side of the Inner Bay of Inverkeithing Bay, an inlet of the Firth of Forth, Jamestown became an important centre for shipping and industry during the 19th century, and shipbreaking in the 20th century.
Jamestown is located on the Fife Coastal Path and the Fife Pilgrim Way, and is part of the Ferryhills Nature Protected Area. The nearby Jamestown Viaduct carries the Fife Circle Line over the hamlet, and the M90 motorway passes by to the west.
Toponymy Jamestown takes its name from James Reid, who converted the 19th century chemical works situated here into dwellings.
Geography The settlement of Jamestown is located at the northern base of the Ferry Hills. Jamestown is located on Inverkeithing Bay, an inlet of the Firth of Forth.
Jamestown is contiguous with North Queensferry and Inverkeithing. The nearest cities are Dunfermline, 4 miles northwest, and Edinburgh, 9 miles southeast.
Jamestown lies on the Fife Pilgrim Way and the Fife Coastal Path, one of Scotland's great trails. Jamestown is partly within the Ferryhills Nature Protected area.
History
Medieval era In 1270, a group of Jews made an unsuccessful application to Alexander III, who was then resident in Inverkeithing, to settle in Jamestown and establish a New Jerusalem. They proposed to fortify the peninsula and form harbours. The application was rejected on the grounds the land had been granted to the Royal Burgh of Inverkeithing.Simpson, Stevenson (1981). Historic Inverkeithing: the Archeological Implications of Development. Glasgow: University of Glasgow.Cunningham, S. (1899). Inverkeithing, North Queensferry, Limekilns, Charlestown & The Ferry Hills (1st ed.). Dunfermline: W. Clark & Son.
19th – 20th centuries In the 1850s, the Ordnance Survey described Jamestown as "a cluster of cottage houses occupied by workmen employed in the different quarries in the neighbourhood". In the 19th century, Jamestown developed industries in chemical works and brick works. Jamestown also began extraction at Cruicks Quarry.
In the 19th and 20th century, Jamestown was popular with Irish dockworkers, and served those who worked in nearby Rosyth dockyard. There was formerly a Roman Catholic chapel in Jamestown, built to serve the many Irish dockworkers who came to the area. Opened in 1913 and dedicated to St Peter in Chains, it was replaced by St Peter in Chains Church, Inverkeithing in 1977. The area's Irish heritage is referenced in the name of Shamrock Terrace, a block of tenements at the bottom of Ferryhills Road.
During the First World War, the portion of Cruicks next to Inverkeithing Bay, along with the adjacent part of the Bay, was acquired by the Admiralty for the proposed construction of a submarine depot.Stephen, W. (1938) The Story of Inverkeithing & Rosyth. Edinburgh: Moray Press.
Shipbreaking In 1921, Thomas Ward and Sons shipbreakers took over an old brick works in Jamestown and began operations. In the years that followed, many famous ships were broken at Jamestown including:
The battleship HMS Dreadnought in 1923. The hull of the Titanic's sister ship RMS Olympic in 1937 The Nazi Party cruise ship Robert Ley in 1947 The RMS Mauretania in 1966.
Today, Robertson's metal recycling operate in Jamestown processing and exporting metal.
Landmarks
References
External links Drone video of Jamestown and Jamestown's Cruicks Quarry from above.