Balmalcolm

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Balmalcolm
Fife
South of Balmalcolm - geograph.org.uk - 1842129.jpg
South of Balmalcolm
Location
Grid reference: NO319083
Location: 56°15’44"N, 3°6’4"W
Data
Post town: Cupar
Postcode: KY15
Local Government
Council: Fife
Parliamentary
constituency:
North East Fife

Balmalcolm is a small village in the Kettle parish of Fife. Encompassed by the low-lying Howe of Fife, the village is roughly five and a half miles south-west of Cupar, the nearest town.

History

The village first appeared on maps in the mid-eighteenth century and its naming was likely inspired by the name Ballingall, the name of the family which once owned the land on which it lies.[1]

Balmalcolm was the centre of some controversy in the late 1990s when a high level of nitrates were found in the local borehole, which was attributed to the intensive farming of the local area with green vegetables. The area was designated a 'Nitrate Vulnerable Zone', and nine farms were required to follow an action programme in regards to their nitrate usage as a result.[2]

Economy

Surrounded by farms, vegetable packing business Kettle Produce chose Balmalcolm Farm as its headquarters and was founded by two farming families in 1985 after a partnership dating back to 1976.[3][4] The Balmalcolm facility employs 1,000 staff from the local area, but the company has since expanded to the rest of Britain and into mainland Europe.[5]

Farm shop, café, and children's play experience Muddy Boots is a popular local attraction in Balmalcolm. Set on a farm owned by the same family for three generations, the business has its roots in the 1950s but has expanded substantially since then, especially in recent years.[6]

Outside links

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("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Balmalcolm)

References