page_title: Methil
section_title: Overview
hierarchical_section_title: Methil / Overview
caption_attribution_description: English: Kirkland High Sch before demolition
context_page_description: Methil is an eastern coastal town in Scotland. It was first recorded as "Methkil" in 1207, and belonged to the Bishop of St Andrews. Two Bronze Age cemeteries have been discovered which date the settlement as over 8,000 years old.
  It was part of its own barony in 1614 and also part of the former burgh of Buckhaven and Methil. This burgh existed between 1891 and 1975. It is situated within a continuous urban area described as Levenmouth.
  Methil lies geographically between Largo Bay to the east and Wemyss Bay to the west. Previously an industrial maritime powerhouse of the region and once Scotland's greatest coal port, it is now redirecting itself towards a green energy future. The River Leven delineates Methil from adjacent towns.
context_section_description: Prior to the Reformation when Methil was absorbed into the Parish of Wemyss, it was an independent parish centred around a church situated inland of what is now Methilmill Cemetery. In the 17th century, it developed as a coastal village, first with a tidal harbour, thereafter expanding considerably at the start of the 20th century due to a boom in coal mining.
  From 1920 the development of (mainly) council housing caused the town to expand inland to meet up with the formerly separate village of Methilhill and reach the boundaries of Methilmill Cemetery and the site of the ancient parish church.
  Historically, the main industry in the area was coal mining, with most of the coal exported through Methil Docks, which exported over 3,000,000 tons per year between the WW1 and WW2.  A related development was Methil Power Station (1960), which was sited at the mouth of the River Leven. It was eventually demolished in 2011. This power station used colliery slurry, which would otherwise have gone to waste.
  Nearby is the new Bayview Stadium, home to East Fife Football Club, previously located more centrally in the town at the corner of Wellesley and Kirkland Roads.
caption: Kirkland High School, taken shortly before demolition in 2016.
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