Dalgety Bay

Coordinates: 56°02′35″N 3°22′03″W / 56.04295°N 3.36755°W / 56.04295; -3.36755

Dalgety Bay
Dalgety Bay  Dalgety Bay shown within Fife
Population	10,030 [1]
OS grid reference	NT149841
Council area	Fife
Lieutenancy area	Fife
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Dunfermline
Postcode district	KY11
Dialling code	01383
Police	Fife
Fire	Fife
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath
Scottish Parliament	Kirkcaldy Mid Scotland and Fife
List of places: UK • Scotland •

Dalgety Bay ( listen (help·info), a coastal town in Fife, Scotland, stands on the north shore of the Firth of Forth. According to Fife Council, the town is home to 10,030, making this the eighth-largest place in Fife.^[1] 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 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.^{[citation needed]}

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. ^[2]

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 who built Donibristle House as their residence. Towards the end of the 18th century, the village was removed by order of the Earls of Moray.^[3] 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 HMS Merlin, 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.^[4] 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 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.^[5] 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.

Famous villagers

• Gordon Durie
• Stephen Hendry
• Steven Pressley

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Population Estimates of towns and villages in Fife". Fife Council. March 2008. http://www.fifedirect.org.uk/uploadfiles/publications/c64_Population06Leaflet.pdf. Retrieved 2009-03-06. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ Calire Smith, Scotsman, 16 October 2011.
3. ^ Omand The Fife Book p.176.
4. ^ Omand The Fife Book p.90.
5. ^ "Dalgety Bay: Facilities and Services". Fifedirect. Fife Council. http://www.fifefire.gov.uk/yourtown/index.cfm?fuseaction=town.services&pageid=DDBC0615-AAE9-081A-3929B1D4B041180A&town=D2647D9C-B6A4-47D0-9CC9115104EA65A2. Retrieved 12 September 2010. 

External links

• Dalgety Bay on FifeDirect
• Dalgety Bay Round Table
• Dalgety Bay and Hillend community website
• A short tour of Dalgety Bay - includes maps and aerial photographs
• Dalgety Bay Weather Station
• Fleet Air Arm archive
• Radioactive contamination[1]