St Andrews

If you are after some culture, the St Andrews Museum and St Andrews Preservation Trust Museum and Garden tell the story of the town and its history and the Crawford Arts Centre is home to the visual arts. The newly refurbished Byre Theatre has a wonderful programme of performances and events as well as exhibitions, a café bar and restaurant.

Tourist attractions aside, St Andrews is of course home to many people who simply go about their everyday life. There are students galore during term-time, tourists galore in the summer and the locals all year round. All spend a considerabWith a unique place in Scotland’s heritage, the University town of St Andrews takes its name from one of Christ’s apostles whose relics, according to legend, were brought to the town by St Rule. You can now climb St Rule’s Tower for magnificent views of the town and over the sea and you can visit the ruins of the Cathedral and the Castle with its visitor centre.

The priory was a centre of learning and Scotland’s first university was established here, a feature that now ensures St Andrews is known to all through virtue of a member of the Royal family studying here. The University is set amongst ivy-clad buildings and delightful quadrangles and gardens and during term time you will see the red-gowned students wandering through the buildings.

Of course, St Andrews is also the seat of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club and the centre of the golf world. While the famous Old Course draws champions of the past and present with the Open being held here in 2005; the many other courses in the town bring golfers of all abilities and there are also club makers, golf shops and the British Golf Museum.

The town also boasts two award-winning beaches, with a myriad activities to keep everyone entertained on a sunny day. There is also the hugely popular St Andrews Aquarium with its friendly seals, the Botanic Garden and out of town a little, Craigtoun Country Park with its formal gardens, entertainment for children and pleasant walks.
le amount of time, naturally, in the shops and cafes of the centre of St Andrews. In fact the town is beginning to have a very café society look to it, with seating on the wide pavements under awnings selling any kind of coffee or tea you may wish to try.
It was a picture postcard blue-sky day when I visited the town and I chose my seat outside Java Junction on South Street, the awning shading me just enough. Served my latte by Laura Ward, I asked her for a chat to find out what it’s like to live and work in such a fascinating town.

Originally from the south of England, Laura moved to St Andrews when her father was transferred to Leuchars with the RAF. She is currently between school and University and enjoying working at Java Junction for the holidays. “We get a real mix of people in here from students and tourists to locals,” she says. “It’s an interesting place to work and I get to meet lots of different people. Tourists watch the students go by hoping for a glimpse of Prince William but there are loads of other students who try to look like him,” Laura smiles. She also comments on how the students are anything but Scottish. They come from all over the world and then when a golf open is on, golfers and followers of golf come in.
Java Junction manager, Stuart Henderson is a Scot who went to St Andrews University and he loves living and working in the town. He says it is hard to gauge how busy the place will be as it is different every day but once the tourist season is truly underway it will be all hands on deck at the coffee shop and snack bar.

Wandering on from South Street past a beautiful old book shop that looks like it has been part of St Andrews for centuries, I spotted a delicious-looking deli on Church Street. Butler & Co offers a real gastronomic treat with a counter laden with cheese, real Scottish chocolate, fresh oysters and all manner of other delights.

Working behind the counter was American PhD student Deborah Gallant who has a wonderful time working at Butler & Co by all accounts. She pointed out that despite the fact that the deli is quite upmarket, they do have a varied clientel and their wrap bar is perhaps “the biggest secret in St Andrews”. Situated at the back of the shop, it is not a secret to all the students who queue up for a wrap of their choice at very reasonable prices. “We like to cater for everyone here,” says Deborah, telling me that the shop is affiliated with seafood restaurants in St Andrews and St Monans, all owned by Tim Butler. “The restaurant features our cheeses and we feature their oysters. It is a family owned company and a great place to work. I get to meet everyone. We have lots of regulars and then tourists and students too and we’ll chat about the different cheeses or something new we have.”
Deborah also explained that being an entrepreneurial company, Tim’s wife runs a hairdresser’s in St Andrews too – Sophie Butler Hair.

A great place to wander around on a sunny summer’s day, I continued my stroll and around the corner from the deli in Church Square I found St Andrews Pottery Shop, an established family pottery business where the proprietor makes and decorates the pots himself. Next to that is the Doll’s House restaurant, a family friendly place with lively jazz evenings and tables outside for enjoying your meal in the sunshine.

Back on South Street, I stopped for a creamy ice cream at St Andrews’ original ice cream shop, B Janetta. Boasting the best ice cream this side of Italy, there are 52 flavours to choose from including Irn Bru sorbet.

I could quite happily shop and browse all day in St Andrews, but I decided to end my day with another coffee but this time in a shop selling all kinds of bears! The uniquely named Papa Growlers is on Market Street and as well as a welcome smile, great tea, coffee and cakes, you will find teddy bears of all shapes, sizes and prices.

Owner Alison Wiseman collects teddy bears and decided to turn her hobby into her job, opening the shop two years ago. She named the shop Papa Growlers after a Steiff bear made between 1905 and 1908. He is now without ears but takes pride of place in the shop, along with other Steiff bears for serious collectors, fun bears and all manner of special bears. You will even find a replica of the very first 1922 Steiff bear called PB55, of which only 7,000 were made. It will set you back £379 though!
Susan Lush helps out with running the shop and just loves the bears. “We get a lot of people coming for coffee who can’t resist taking a bear home too, and those who stay for a coffee while choosing their bear,” she says, laughing, adding that they have lots of regulars but the tourists come too and of course they do bears for students. St Andrews is a perfect place for this shop.
Susan also introduces me to Jenny who not only makes delicious cakes for the shop, but bears too! A woman of many talents.

Full of coffee, I headed out of St Andrews, admiring the view of the Cathedral and Castle ruins overlooking the blue of the sea and then on past the Old Course where the famous Golf Open will take place next year. I was quite wishing I lived and worked in such a vibrant and varied town.