Dalgety Bay
Encyclopedia
Dalgety Bay

Dalgety Bay ' onMouseout='HidePop("95946")' href="/topics/Fife">Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...

, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, stands on the north shore of the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...

. According to Fife Council, the town is home to 10,030, making this the eighth-largest place in Fife. The bay was named after the original village of Dalgety, but the ruins of the 12th century St. Bridget's Kirk are all that now mark the site. The new town, which was built in 1962, takes its name from the main bay it adjoins, but the town stretches over many bays and coves including Donibristle Bay and St David's Bay.

Today, Dalgety Bay functions largely as a dormitory suburb of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

 and to the rest of Fife. While the architecture of the town reflects construction by volume housebuilders, the town is a regular winner of the Best Kept Small Town title. Its rise in population mirrors its rise in popularity as a coastal commuter town
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...

.

A series of radioactive objects have been found on the shoreline of Dalgety Bay since the 1990s. One found in 2011 measured 10 megabecquerels. The objects are believed to come from eroded landfill contains debris from Second World War aircraft that originally had radium control dials.

History

Dalgety Bay began as the village of Dalgety, which was built on the site of the 12th century St Bridget's Kirk. The land surrounding the town was part of the estate owned by the Earls of Moray
Earl of Moray
The title Earl of Moray has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland.Prior to the formal establishment of the peerage, Earl of Moray, numerous individuals ruled the kingdom of Moray or Mormaer of Moray until 1130 when the kingdom was destroyed by David I of Scotland.-History of the...

 who built Donibristle House
Donibristle
Donibristle was a house and estate in Fife, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth. Only the wings of the house remain, within the modern settlement of Dalgety Bay: they are now protected as a category A listed building...

 as their residence. Towards the end of the 18th century, the village was removed by order of the Earls of Moray. During World War I Morton Gray Stuart, 17th Earl of Moray donated a portion of his land to the Crown, which built an airfield there in 1917 as a base for the Royal Naval Air Service. The Royal Naval Air Service improved and expanded the aerodrome during World War II as , an aircraft repair yard, and constructed an extensive aircraft maintenance facility there.

Construction of the modern town of Dalgety Bay as Scotland's first "enterprise town" began around 1962 on the land of the airstrip and much of the remaining ground of the Earls of Moray family seat, Donibristle House. The town stretches across many bays and coves of the northern coast of the Firth of Forth including Donibristle Bay and St David's Bay. Its unique view of the Forth estuary, comparatively low crime rate, and proximity to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

may all have contributed to its popularity as a place to live.

Education

There are two primary schools in Dalgety Bay: Dalgety Bay Primary School and Donibristle Primary School. Dalgety Bay sits within the catchment area for Inverkeithing High School. Pupils attending Private Schools from Dalgety Bay travel to Dollar Academy, by whom a bus is provided, and to the numerous schools in Edinburgh.

External links

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