The Letter P in St Andrews
 
The incised letter P found on various walls and buildings about the town are Burgh Commissioner's Fire Plugs from the 1830s, established under the Scottish Burgh Reform Act and the Burgh Police (Scotland) Act.

It is thought that this mark represented buildings that had a piped water supply.  This would then be a source of water in case of fire, hence a 'fire plug'. Most households at this time took their water from the wells located around the town.  An annual charge of 1/6 (one shilling and six pence) was made on properties with piped water.  Properties with water closets paid 2/6 (two and sixpence, or half a crown).  Prior to 1839 the respective charges were 5/- (five shillings) and 7/6 (seven and sixpence).

Other related marks include distances (in feet and inches) to the nearby water source.

 

26 Argyle Street 45 Argyle Street 74 Argyle Street
51 Argyle Street
P 11 FT
54 Argyle Street
P 3½
59 Argyle Street  
Lade Braes Lane  
Gibson House
 
Gregory Lane, St Gregory's City Park
1 Pilmour Place 3 Pilmour Place West 3 Pilmour Place East
4 Pilmour Place 5 Pilmour Place 6 Pilmour Place
7 Pilmour Place 7 Pilmour Links West 7 Pilmour Links East
6 Playfair Terrace  7 Playfair Terrace Gable of 8 Playfair Terrace
St Salvator's, Scores 22 The Scores St Katherines, The Scores
Gregory Lane
on garden wall of 1 North Street
North Street
wall of Deans Court garden
17 North Street
20 North Street 33 North Street 38 - 40 North Street
65 North Street 79 North Street
81 North Street
86 North Street 116 North Street
122 North Street
138 North Street 140 North Street
142 North Street
 
148 North Street  
150 North Street
 
Abbotsford Place/North Street  
Union Street
next to 72A North Street door
Myrtle Villa, Woodburn Terrace
 
Gregory Place
4 Loudens Close
29 North Castle Street 31 North Castle Street 43 North Castle Street
43 North Castle Street
 
South Castle Street
Gable of 25 South Street
17 South Castle Street
P 3FT
3 South Street 10 South Street 17 South Street
 
49 South Street
 
3 Market Street 8 Market Street 10 Market Street
18 Market Street
P 8FT
21 Market Street 23 Market Street
23 Market Street 24 Market Street
Two incised letter Ps
38 Market Street
 
42 Market Street  49 Market Street Opposite 3 Kennedy Gardens

West of St John's Garden Gate
Market Street

East of St John's Garden Gate
Market Street
 Central Bar, College Street
20 Queen's Terrace Ardgowan Hotel, Playfair Terrace
PE
Ardgowan Hotel, Playfair Terrace
10 Greyfriars Garden South 10 Greyfriars Garden North 15 Greyfriars Garden
3 Albany Place 15 Lade Braes Mill Port building
Westburn Lane Westburn Lane Rose Lane
 
2 Rose Lane 3 Rose Lane 4 Rose Lane
Links Crescent
9 Crails Lane 11 Crail's Lane 1 Albany Place
7 Golf Place North
 
6 St Mary's Place 7 Golf Place South
8 Logies Lane 9 Logies Lane 10 Logies Lane
Social Anthropolgy
North Street
6 Hepburn Gardens 2 Lockhart Place
22 College Street Gillespie Terrace
DP
PE opposite 3a The Scores
11A Links Crescent 36 Bell Street Westerlee

 

Other Services marks including distances in feet (presumably FP = Fire Point, T = Telephone)
 

9 City Road
8'7"
Opposite Netherburn, Lade Braes
MH 3 FT
62 Hepburn Gardens
X 3FT
Parliament Hall, South Street
WT 2' 6"
12 Market Street
FP 8
33a North Castle Street
3FT
28 City Road
MH
47 North Castle Street
+ 10ft
  7 Pilmour Links
F 7
Petheram Bridge
R.P.
C.A.D.
2 Balfour Place

T 1 FT

Fleming Place
10'6"

St Salvator's Chapel
FP 18FT N
Upper College Hall
FP 12FT N
Lower College Hall
FP 36FT W

Doctors Brae
10FT
MS
Kennedy Gardens
FP 9FT
Gillespie Terrace
Z3

Water Works, Pipeland
10"
11FT

East Gable of Chaplaincy Centre
Market Street
 
 
All Saints Hall
W 3ft
West Port
2F
Woodburn Place
T
Kerbstone, 46 South Street
+ 10 ft
St Leonards Lane
T 3ft
Madras College
@9FT

 

Home   AbbeyWall Animals Arches   Home2
Architecture Balconies BeeBoles Bells Benchmarks Bridges Buildings
Carvings Chancellors Chimneys Churches Clocks Crowsteps Dates
Doorbells Events Faces Features Gates Golf Golf
Hoppers Knockers Lamps Letterboxes LetterP Manholes Masonmarks
Monograms Mosaics Museums Names Niches Pavement Pediments
Phoneboxes Plaques Postboxes Railings Restaurants Services Scrapers
Shields Shops Signs Skewputts Statues Steps StreetSigns
Sundials Towers University Views Weather Wells Windows