12/06/2026
Crail Museum …. From the archives
Did you know …. that the burn that runs underneath Tolbooth Wynd was once an open river? This early photo clearly shows the burn with children quietly playing alongside!
In early documents, it is referred to as The Byeburn River. The story goes, that it was covered after a local councillor fell in on his way home from a visit to The Golf Hotel.
It was more likely that in the mid 1880s, Provost James Peattie, who was responsible for a number of improvements in The Royal Burgh of Crail, proposed that the burn should be covered for safety reasons.
This is just one of over 8,000 images of Crail and its people we have in the Museum photograph archives. Many are on display in the Museum and each year we refresh some of our exhibitions - so the Museum is always changing.
Please visit us - even if you’ve been before - we think you’ll be surprised at how we now look!
