The St Monans Heritage Collection is dedicated to preserving and showcasing the rich heritage and history of St Monans and Abercrombie. Located at 5 West Shore in St Monans, the collection is accessible to the public free of charge. We are open from April to October. For the latest opening hours, which may vary weekly, please visit our main page.
The Heritage Collection was opened in 1999 and features 43 framed prints created from glass plate negatives belonging to renowned local pharmacist, photographer and general merchant, William Easton (1860-1929). A pioneer of early photography, he captured every aspect of life in an East Neuk fishing village in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Many of Easton’s photographs, some previously unknown, have been brought together in a limited edition book by Jerzy Morkis, We Live by the Sea. Published in 2024, copies are available from various local outlets and directly from the author (email: stmonans@gmail.com).
Curator of the Collection for its first 20 years was Mr Ian Reekie, who retired in 1995 after 26 years as head teacher of St Monans Primary School. Much of his life in retirement was devoted to building up the Collection, organising special exhibitions and managing the team of volunteers on whom, then as now, the centre depended. He also oversaw an archaeological investigation of the Windmill and Salt Pans.
Thanks to lan Reekie and others, the rooms at 5 West Shore are now full to overflowing with a huge collection of documents, photographs, artifacts and memorabilia relating to the early history of St Monans, fishing, farming and boatbuilding, schools, churches, shops and businesses and the remarkable lives of ordinary people who lived here before us and whose stories deserve to be told and remembered.
The Heritage Collection is not an independent charity but operates under the supervision of the Community Council. We are usually open to the public 3 or 4 days a week from April to October.
The St Monans Heritage Collection 