Lumphinnans

Gagarin Way

Lumphinnans (Scottish Gaelic: Lann Fhìonain) is a small, former mining village along the B981 road, from west to east between the towns of Cowdenbeath and Lochgelly, in central Fife.

Lumphinnans Primary and Community School is the local primary school, its facilities available under a community use programme in the evenings.[1] Sporting facilities are also available at Lumphinnans Sports Hub[2] and Lumphinnans Bowling Club, founded in 1909. Lumphinnans United A.F.C. play in the amateur football Kingdom of Fife AFA[3] at Ochilview park.

The name Lumphinnans is derived from the Scottish Gaelic lann, 'church', of (Saint) Fhìonain or Fillan, with early sources indicating both as possibilities.[4][5] The -s suffix denotes a division of the lands into northern and southern parts.[5]

Historically, the village had nearby collieries, an ironworks and a brickworks.[6][7]

Lumphinnans was nicknamed as "Little Moscow" in the 1920s and 1930s for the area's support of communism.[8] The local left-wing council named a road Gagarin Way in the Russian cosmonaut's honour, which inspired a play of the same name by Scots playwright Gregory Burke.[9]

  1. ^ "Lumphinnans Primary Community School | Fife Council". Fife.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Lumphinnans - Fife Sports and Leisure Trust". Fifeleisure.org.uk. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Clubs - RJM Sports Kingdom of Fife AFA". kingdomoffifeafa.pitchero.com.
  4. ^ "Kalemouth (Roxburgh)" (PDF). Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Fife Place-name Data :: Lumphinnans". Fife-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  6. ^ "Detailed Old Victorian Ordnance Survey 6 inch to 1 mile Old Map (1888-1913), Lumphinnans, Fife Co-ordinates 56.113512, -3.336320".
  7. ^ "Lumphinnans Brickworks, Lumphinnans, Fife | Scotland's Brick Manufacturing Industry".
  8. ^ Devine, Thomas Martin; Mitchison, Rosalind; Dickson, Tony; Treble, James H. (1992). People and Society in Scotland: 1914-1990. John Donald Publishers. ISBN 978-0-85976-212-0.
  9. ^ Sierz, Aleks (16 January 2011). Rewriting the Nation: British Theatre Today. A&C Black. ISBN 978-1-4081-1239-7.