A specially built commemorative cairn has been unveiled to mark the enormous contribution of workers at the former NCB Central Workshops in Cowdenbeath over 100 years.
The cairn stands proudly on the site of the former industrial base in Seco Place and was officially revealed to the public on Saturday 28th June.
Piped from the High Street into Seco Place by 14yo Matthew Clement, among the former workers, family and community members attending the event, were Workshops employees Mrs Mary McCann and Mr Alex Haddow, who were given the honour of officially cutting the ribbon to unveil the tribute.
Mary started work in 1954 at the age of 16 in the Time Office at the Workshops. She then moved on to the Accounts Office and worked on a new computer system, using punched cards, one of the first electronic systems at the time. After leaving in 1962 to start a family, she returned to the Central Workshops in 1977, joining the Cost Office and then worked in the telephone exchange. Mrs McCann remembers her time fondly, adding “I thank my good fortune for the time I spent there and the friends and colleagues that I made.”
There were loud cheers and applause from the crowd as the ribbon was cut, with Mrs McCann adding, “I’m just so happy to be here. It was a pleasure to work here and I’m really glad to see that everyone turned up today, thank you for coming.”
Alex Haddow commented on his time at the Workshops, telling us, “I got a job as an apprentice welder at age 17 and did 13 years here, coming out just after the miners strike after they made lots of redundancies. I loved my time in the Workshops. I’m really glad the men and women have this cairn now. It’s been placed here at the gates where all the workers came in and out, and it looks fantastic.”
“We had workers from all over Fife work here so it’s really nice to see the individual named brickworks all recognised in this cairn too. It means a lot for the ex-employees to come and see where their efforts are recognised forever on this site.”
The Workshops were opened by the Fife Coal Company in 1924 to build and maintain equipment for the booming mining industry in the Cowdenbeath area, but quickly expanded to support pits across Scotland and the north of England, moving to the National Coal Board in 1947 and were eventually closed under British Coal in 1988.
The sprawling Workshops site contained a large office building, a laboratory, engineering works and a materials and equipment store, most of which have now been demolished, but at their peak employed nearly 1,000 men and women from across the region.
The Central Workshops were of such national importance they hosted a visit by His Majesty King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret in 1948. The visit was marked with the laying of a special brass plaque, which stood outside the Workshops canteen for decades and was saved by the new owners when the buildings were demolished. It now has pride of place in the new cairn, saved from the demolition workers by the current Site Manager, Jimmy Ross at In-Site Property, and lovingly cleaned and restored by locals. The unveiling of the carin coincided with the exact date of the Royal visit 77 years ago.
The project was the idea of local historian and former miner, Iain Chalmers, who worked with Cowdenbeath Community Council and My Cowdenbeath development group over the last 18 months to organise the tribute.
Iain told us, “This all really started back in 2020 when some of the ex staff heard the Workshops buildings were to be demolished and the site redeveloped. Folk were keen to revisit the site before everything had gone, so I contacted Jimmy Ross at In-Site Property, who now own the land, to arrange a visit and was pleased that more than 70 people turned up. It was a really successful visit which brought back lots of good memories and it was during this visit that the idea of a commemorative cairn was first raised, maybe using some of the old bricks from the buildings being demolished.”
“Ofcourse, then the pandemic came along and everything got pushed back until I approached the community council in late 2023 to raise the idea and look for support. A small group was formed with local people and that helped kick things off.”
“Even though I never worked in the Central Workshops myself, I understood their importance, not just to Cowdenbeath or Fife, but to the whole mining industry around Scotland, and I am so pleased to have been part of this project.”
The cairn was built by a local builder who provided their time without charge, but wishes to remain anonymous. It contains bricks from the former Workshops buildings as well as bricks named after more than 30 brickworks around Scotland, such as Hill of Beath, Lochgelly, Blairadam, Bowhill and Methil.
Tony Smith, from Cowdenbeath Community Council, has been part of the organising group and said, “Iain had a brilliant idea, one of many, to commemorate the Central Workshops and all those who made it a great place to work. The Community Council are always delighted to be involved in projects promoting the town and it’s people, and we’re over the moon to support Iain with his quest. Happily the cairn is finished and the Community Council would like to thank the many people who helped out, Iain, local tradesmen, ex employees and many others in making this project a success.”
Funding for the cairn project was received from 4 Winds and Fife Council, as well as a contribution for materials from Cowdenbeath Community Council. Stuart Duffy, from My Cowdenbeath, said this was another example of local groups working together in Cowdenbeath to celebrate the town’s heritage. “We want to thank everyone who has helped make this project a reality, from our funders to the builder and locals for supporting the idea. We especially want to mention the support from Jimmy and the team at In-Site Property, who own the site of the former Workshops and have created a space for the cairn. Jimmy also had the foresight to save the Royal plaque and some of the bricks from the demolition, so we really appreciate his involvement.”
“Thanks must also go to our brilliant young piper, 14yo Matthew Clement, to Knights Templar charity for helping with refreshments, Kelly’s Welders & Blacksmiths, West Lothian Memorials and everyone who donated decorative bricks or helped dress the bricks ready for installation. It’s been a real community effort and we’re so proud to have played a part in making it happen.”
A special booklet commemorating the Royal visit in 1948 was commissioned featuring lots of information and pictures capturing the Workshops busy engineering environment. Thanks to Wilma Aitchison, whose father was a former employee, and provided the images below from that booklet.
Some historical photos from the NCB Central Workshops in Cowdenbeath, shared with us from members of the community or from the Cowdenbeath Past & Present FB page with grateful thanks.
This project was a joint effort between Cowdenbeath Community Council and My Cowdenbeath development group, led by Iain Chalmers.
Thanks to our funders, 4 Winds, Fife Council and Cowdenbeath Community Council.
My Cowdenbeath CIC 