Largs has plenty of photographers, who enjoy capturing spectacular images of the local area, and we are sure they will be interested in this particular photo which is historic.

This picture shows, on the right, Aubery and Arethusa, double villa and opposite, Glen Eldon. The house in the foreground is Netherbank, at one time occupied by George Jeffery, headmaster of Brisbane Academy, which later became the Stevenson Institute, and is now a day care centre. However, the picture is of special interest as it is believed to be one of the first ever photographs taken in Largs.

In the early 1870s, a great stride forward was made in photography by the invention of dry plate, by which negative could be made and any number of prints taken from it.

James Valentine, of the present firm, of Valentine and Sons, exploited the new plate and took photos of all over Scotland. The above is one of his pictures, and was one of the first thousand negatives he made. It is of particular note as you can see the original St Columba's Parish Church in the background, with the current church being built in 1892.