The butcher shops legacy on High Street

Willie Bowie was a butcher (or flesher as they termed it back then) in Clackmannan in the middle of the 19th century.

He died aged 75 in 1867. By that time his son David Bowie had become a butcher in Dunfermline. David Bowie’s butcher business was located at 83 Netherton Broad Street. In time his three sons David, James and Henry also took up the trade.

David (junior) set up on his own in Bridge Street, Cowdenbeath in 1901.

Said David Allan: "It was the start of a long association with the town: David moved to a shop at the Fountain at 10 Broad Street in May 1902, underneath the Brunton Hall (now the Co-op Hall). It had previously been George Brown’s butcher shop.

"In 1920, Cowdenbeath Co-op acquired Brunton Hall and the shops underneath. They then wanted the shopkeepers who were the tenants in these shops at the foot of Broad Street out, so that the Co-op could extend its premises round the corner into Broad Street.

"The Co-op wished to eject the three shop tenants – Jimmy Murray, the barber; Erneste Bollini, ice cream merchant; and David Bowie. Their justification was that the ejection was in the public interest as the expansion would benefit their 12,000 members plus get rid of the crowds of people who hung around and obstructed the corner.

"The Court though simply thought this was a case whereby one big trader was trying to muscle out three smaller traders and the Co-op were unable to eject the tenants. Of course, in time the Co-op was able to incorporate these shops into its operations."

He added: "In due course, though David Bowie acquired a new shop at 321 High Street. He had his butchery business there until 1935 when he sold the premises to Alex Munro – Butchers. Alex Munro was set up in 1935 by the Vestey Group and eventually had over 100 shops in Scotland. There was no Alex Munro – it was just a made up name which they thought sounded good for a butcher business.

"David Bowie then moved his shop to 308 High Street. He passed away in 1944 but the business was continued by his wife. His sons Frank and David had also worked in the business.

"In April 1950, Bowie’s butcher business was sold to James M Noble and the business was then continued under his name at 308 High Street. "Jimmy Noble had come to Cowdenbeath in 1939 as District Manager of Alex Munro’s. Jimmy of course was a director of Cowdenbeath Football Club for many years.

"He was obviously busy running his new business in 1950 as the Cowdenbeath FC minutes for August of that year recorded, ‘Mr Noble intimated that at present he would be unable to attend to catering at home games and it was agreed that the girls in charge be asked to continue and that only cakes be placed on the table in place of the more elaborate spread which had been customary’."

Concluded David: "Jimmy died in 1980 but Noble’s remained a fixture on Cowdenbeath High Street - at 270 High Street where the business was relocated to in the mid-1960s when a new row of shops was built on the High Street. James Noble’s sons, Lindsay and Brian, then ran what was the longest surviving local business in the High Street.

"The support given to striking miners in the 1984/85 Miners Strike has also never been forgotten in the town. Nobles was with us for 70 years and was a continuation of David Bowie’s original business which was established 119 years ago in Cowdenbeath.

"David Bowie’s sons Frank and David, as aforementioned, were also butchers. David joined Alex Munros in 1939 and worked for them for 32 years until he retired as manager of the Alloa shop. Frank Bowie had a son named David Bowie, and unlike his forebears he became a baker in Lochgelly.

"He was also a travelling salesman for a time – selling cash registers. In the 1960s/70s, he owned and operated the shop at 129 Broad Street. David Bowie also had the Hasti Tasti in the High Street for a time. Later, after selling up in Cowdenbeath, he lived out Leslie way and had a garage business and a carpet shop".