Newburgh, United Kingdom

The main employer from the early 1920s was the linoleum factory known locally as the "Tayside", operated by the Tayside Floorcloth Company. In the subsequent decades, Newburgh was a prosperous industrial town pulling in workers for the factories from surrounding towns and villages. As linoleum fell out of fashion in the late 1960s and 1970s, attempts were made to produce vinyl flooring and tiles but the factory was no longer profitable. After several changes in ownership it finally closed in 1980 after a large fire destroyed much of the building.

Situated to the East of the linoleum factory was another factory known locally as "The Oilskin". Since before the First World War, its mostly female workers produced oilskin fabric for waterproof clothing such as fishermen's suits and Sou'westers. The factory was taken over by textiles giant Courtaulds in the 1960s but it also closed some years later as demand for the product declined.

As of 2020, most industries in Newburgh have closed except for quarrying, which is now the town's biggest single employer. It is mainly a dormitory town with many of those of working age commuting for work to Perth, Dundee, and Glenrothes. Local trades and services include a health centre, nursing home, and supermarket on the site of the former Ship Inn.

In 2017 a new whisky distillery opened on the site of Lindores Abbey at the east end of Newburgh. This produces Lindores Abbey whisky on the site where "Aqua vitae"—an early form of whisky—was produced by the monks. The distillery incorporates an event venue and offers catering and tours of the distillery and Abbey ruins.

After many years of lying derelict, the linoleum factory was demolished and cleared and its site is now a recreational waterfront linked to the Mugdrum Park and the Fife Coastal Path.