Dunfermline, United Kingdom

Dunfermline is at 56°04′17″N 3°27′42″W on the coastal fringe of Fife. The medieval town rose from approximately 51 metres (167 ft) above sea level in the south, where Nethertown Broad Street can now be found; 69 to 67 metres (226 to 220 ft) west to east along what is now Priory Lane; to 90 to 101 metres (295 to 331 ft) up the High Street, from west to east; to 92 to 105 metres (302 to 344 ft) between Bruce Street and Queen Anne Street from south to north.

Temperatures in Dunfermline, much like the rest of Scotland, are relatively moderate given its northern latitude. Fife is a peninsula, between the Firth of Tay to the north, Firth of Forth to the south and the North Sea to the east. Summers are relatively cool and the warming of the water over the summer, results in warm winters. Average annual temperatures in Dunfermline range from a maximum of 18 °C (64 °F) to a minimum of 9 °C (48 °F).

The town is geologically separated from the area to the north by the Cleish Hills.

From about the fifteenth century coal and limestone had been extracted in the area around Dunfermline, at first on a very small and localised scale. As the Agricultural Revolution gathered pace the demand for lime (for improving land) increased the requirement for coal to burn it. Salt panning too required coal in large quantities, and the early outcrops near the Firth of Forth became exhausted, forcing the extraction to take place further inland. Many of the sites were within the present-day limits of Dunfermline.

The increasing distance of the pits from the Forth made transport of the minerals an issue, and Dunfermline was a pioneer in the construction of wooden waggonways for the purpose. By the eighteenth century a complex network had developed, and in time many of the lines were converted to railways: the Halbeath Railway, the Fordell Railway, the Elgin Railway and the Townhill Tramway being the most prominent. They generally ran from north to south, still conveying the mineral to the harbours at Charlestown, Limekilns, Inverkeithing and St David's. From 1848 more modern railways entered Dunfermline, at first on a west to east axis, intersecting the mineral lines. In time the latter were converted to make through running on to the main line network possible.

Pittencrieff Park forms the western boundary of the town centre covering 31 hectares (76 acres). It was given to the people of Dunfermline in 1903 by Andrew Carnegie. The park is known locally as the Glen and was created from the estate of Pittencrieff and the lands of the house, owned by the Lairds of Pittencrieff. A £1.4 million project to regenerate, restore and re-establish the park began in 2009 and is ongoing. In December 2011 Pittencrieff Park was awarded £710,000 through the Heritage Lottery Fund's Parks for People programme for essential maintenance work. A previous award of £27,000 was made under this scheme in 2010. The work included the restoration of historic buildings and bridges; new lighting and the refurbishment of the greenhouse to create a classroom. A separate £1 million project finished in 2012, extending the Glen Pavilion to provide a new 120 seat cafe and linking corridor to the rear of the building.

The Bruce Festival is an annual attraction held in Pittencrieff Park every August. The festival which promotes Robert The Bruce's links to Dunfermline centres on a medieval village and is home to a food fayre, battle reenactments and displays of arts and crafts.

Dunfermline has four secondary schools and fourteen primary schools. Other educational facilities include a private school and Calaiswood ASN School for children with learning difficulties and complex health needs. Dunfermline High School is the oldest secondary in the town, having originated in 1816 on what is now Queen Anne Street. The school which serves both the southern and western parts of the town as well as Rosyth and Kincardine has occupied a site on St Leonard's Street since 1939. A new £40 million Dunfermline High School opened in August 2012.

Further education is provided by Fife College. It was founded as Lauder Technical School in 1899 and funded by Andrew Carnegie who named it after his uncle, George Lauder who had been a campaigner for free technical education. A textile school, founded in 1910 and also funded by Carnegie later merged with the technical school in 1927. The school became known as a technical college in 1951 and the name was then shortened to Lauder College in the late 20th century before becoming Carnegie College in 2007. In 2013 Carnegie became part of Fife College. It is a partner of the Dunfermline Business Centre and provides courses catering to over 10,000 students annually.