History and Heritage
Dunfermline and West Fife is brimming with history and the perfect place to explore if you enjoy delving into the culture and heritage of new places and learning about their fascinating past. From railways and vintage buses to stunning architecture, poignant war memorials and Commonwealth War Graves, to a proud former coal-mining industry, standing stones from the Bronze Age, and even the smallest working light tower in the world. You’ll be spoiled for choice when looking for unique historical stories to uncover.
Dunfermline also has one of the finest surviving medieval townscapes in Scotland and is home to a fascinating must-visit Heritage Quarter located at the heart of the town that consists of:
- Dunfermline Abbey Church
- Dunfermline Palace and Abbey
- Abbot House
- Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum
- Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries
We’ve pulled together the best historical things to see and do in Dunfermline and West Fife for you to explore.
Please be responsible as you explore. Remember to plan ahead and keep up to date with current Scottish Government guidelines to protect yourself and others.
Key to attraction facilities
Monument / Statue / Place of Interest, no facilities available
Outdoor Experience
Visitor Attraction / Museum / Place of Worship / Leisure
Visitor Attraction / Museum / Place of Worship / Leisure, no facilities available
Free Admission
Dunfermline
Welcome Walk in Dunfermline
Experience an insider’s guide to Dunfermline and enjoy a free 45-minute guided walk of Dunfermline’s Heritage Quarter. Hear stories of old Dunfermline whilst your guide points out the main visitor attractions and offers recommendations on the best places to visit and where to eat in the town. This Spring, the Welcome Walk will run every Wednesday from 5 May until 30 June.
Outside Abbot House, Maygate, Dunfermline
Scottish Vintage Bus Museum
Step back in time and discover over 100 buses, trains, a horse tram and many other exhibits at the museum. Imagine daily travel as it used to be dating back to the 1920s, enjoy the exhibition hall, café and shop, and you can even explore the museum on-board a vintage bus!
Scottish Vintage Bus Museum, M90 Commerce Park, Dunfermline, KY12 0SJ
Lathalmond Railway Museum
Visit an original World War Two locomotive shed and learn all about the vast internal railway networks that existed on this site until 1971. Immerse yourself in the history of the railways in West Fife and hop aboard a train rescued from a peat works, visit a wartime railway weighbridge and admire the model railway before touring the small museum.
Shed47 Railway Restoration Group, Scottish Vintage Bus Museum, M90 Commerce Park, Dunfermline KY12 0SJ
Dunfermline War Memorial
Visit the War Memorial and remember the 610 local men and women of the City and Royal Burgh of Dunfermline who died for their country in the First World War (1914-1918). Next to the memorial you’ll find the beautiful Garden for Heroes where you can take a moment for contemplation.
Monastery Street, Dunfermline, KY12 7PQ
City Chambers
Admire this impressive building constructed between 1875-79 featuring a combination of French, Gothic and Scots baronial architecture, and a prominent four-face clock tower. Inside you’ll find the historic police cells, a statue of Robert Burns, Sir Joseph Noel Paton’s painting ‘Spirit of Religion’ and an early 20th century portrait of King Malcolm and Queen Margaret. Entry is subject to availability, please contact the City Chambers for more information on visiting.
City Chambers, Kirkgate, Dunfermline, KY12 7ND
Townhill Mining Heritage Garden
Take a moment to visit this garden dedicated to the men, women and children who worked, and in some cases died, in the darkness of the mining pits beneath Townhill. The garden also commemorates the local coal-mining heritage and features life size wooden sculptures of the miners and a pit pony that worked in the pits. Children will have fun on the wooden train and enjoy burning off energy in the play area. Be sure to look out for the ‘Townhill Fossil’ during your visit.
Townhill Park, Dunfermline, KY12 0HT
Dunfermline Cemetery
A large cemetery in Dunfermline located directly behind Dunfermline Athletic Football Club’s stadium East End Park. The main entrance is on Halbeath Road and the cemetery is the resting place of over 100 First World War and more than 40 Second World War casualties, as well as two unidentified WWI burials.
90 Robertson Road, Dunfermline, KY12 0AP
West Fife
Forth Bridge Heritage Centre
North Queensferry Station, Ferryhills Road, North Queensferry, KY11 1HE
North Queensferry Light Tower
Discover the world’s smallest working Light Tower built in 1817 by Robert Stevenson situated on the 1812 Town Pier. Originally used to light the way across the treacherous Queensferry Passage for pilgrims to Dunfermline & St Andrews. This is also the start of the Fife Pilgrim Way. Light the lamp yourself and receive a certificate to recognise your newfound skill.
Email nqhtinfo@gmail.com to book your visit.
The Harbour Light Tower, Town Pier, North Queensferry, KY11 1LA
A Wee Forth Bridge & Maritime Museum
Culross Mercat Cross
Stroll through this picturesque cobbled square known as The Cross in Culross and find the Mercat Cross that was reconstructed in 1902. Spot the Burgh Arms, the Provost’s initials, a monogram of King James VI and perhaps most intriguingly a unicorn on top. If you’re a fan of TV series Outlander you may recognise it and the village of Culross.
The Cross, Culross, KY12 8HX
Dunimarle Castle & Gardens
Sitting in an elevated position with spectacular views of the Firth of Forth, the earliest house here was a 16th century medieval castle belonging to the MacDuffs, Thanes of Fife. Enjoy a tour of this intriguing medieval castle and St Serf’s Chapel before exploring the beautiful gardens, admiring stunning coastal views and enjoying an enchanting woodland walk. Please contact the castle to arrange your visit prior to setting off.
Balgownie West, Culross, KY12 8JN
Inverkeithing Mercat Cross
One of the finest remaining examples of a mercat cross in Scotland, it’s said to have been built as a tribute to the marriage of the Duke of Rothesay to the daughter of the Earl of Douglas. Dating from the late 14th century, you’ll see the arms of Queen Anabella Drummond and the Douglas family, and an eye-catching unicorn with a shield featuring the St Andrew’s Cross.
Bank Street, Inverkeithing, KY11 1LX
Inverkeithing Town House
A stone’s throw from the Mercat Cross, you’ll find the tolbooth that has existed in Inverkeithing to administer the town’s justice since at least 1500. Due to its poor condition and frequent escapes from the jail, a new town house was built in 1770. Today you can admire part of the earlier Renaissance bell-tower featuring a representation of the Burgh arms that dates from the 17th century.
2-4 Townhall Street, Inverkeithing, KY11 1LX
St Peter's Tower, Inverkeithing Parish Church
Look out for the 14th century St Peter’s Tower that sits directly on the street and is flanked by walls, which date to the 18th century. It’s all that remains of the earlier church dating back to 1480 that was destroyed by fire and features a four-sided lead spire added in 1852. The Parish Church of St Peter is in use for public worship.
8-20 Church Street, Inverkeithing, KY11 1LJ
Douglas Bank Cemetery
Situated in the town of Rosyth, about five miles south of Dunfermline, this cemetery is the resting place of a number of First and Second World War servicemen. The great majority of them were men of the sea, and lie in a naval plot in the centre of the cemetery. There are a few war graves in other parts of the cemetery and a Cross of Sacrifice has been erected in a central position in the naval plot.
Pattiesmuir, Rosyth, KY11 3ES
Tuilyies Standing Stones
A group of four standing stones dating from the Bronze Age located a half-mile north east of Torryburn in West Fife. An eight feet tall and strangely shaped megalith is accompanied by three other large stones, which are best observed from the roadside. Local legend has it that the stones mark the graves of chiefs who died in a battle here.
A985, Dunfermline, KY12 8HD
Explore our eBook
Delve into Dunfermline and West Fife and plan your visit with our new eBook.
Discover more of our fascinating stories, things to see and do, helpful visitor information and lots more.
