Talk:Adam Smith House

Lede is incorrect

The lede currently states: "The home in Kirkcaldy, Scotland is where the economist Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations." This is incorrect, and also, an unsourced claim.

Adam Smith lived with his mother, in his mother's house, in Kirkcaldy during the period he wrote Wealth of Nations. That house was torn down in 1834. I have visited the closest point to where that house stood, on High Street in Kirkcaldy. There is a bronze plaque there (in 2008) that says:

"ADAM SMITH 1723-1790 BORN IN KIRKCALDY. ON THIS SITE STOOD THE HOME OF HIS MOTHER IN WHICH HE LIVED FROM 1767-1776 AND COMPLETED "THE WEALTH OF NATIONS." His grave is in the Canongate Churchyard, Edinburgh. ERECTED 1953. HOUSE REMOVED 1834"

I have a photo of the plaque, as well as a small book which contains a copy of a photograph of the plaque (on pp 20). (Book Reference: "In the Steps of Adam Smith's Kirkcaldy", Kirkcaldy Civic Society, 17, Townsend Cres, Kirkcaldy, KY1 1Dn, copyright 2001, ISBN 0 946294 43 7 ). I would be willing to upload the photo, and license a copy of the photograph to Wiki-commons, should some other editor ask me to do so. N2e (talk) 19:57, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for your attention! I started this article with very little to go on, out of a general interest in supporting, in some way, the efforts of another editor to develop the Adam Smith article (which is now at wp:PR). I assumed, apparently incorrectly, that the information at File:Adam Smith House, Kirkcaldy.jpg and the caption under photo in this version of Adam Smith article implied the house pictured was the house where he completed the book. I guess i read too much into it; i guess it was presented as being the site although not the actual building. I was hoping to find sources and add more, and/or to ask for other editors' help.

I wonder, can you confirm that the photo is the location of the original house, now gone (and hence presumably the location of the plaque you mention)? I also would be interested in seeing the plaque, which because it is more than 50 years old is probably in the public domain (though i am not an expert). It would be great if you could upload and share that. Thanks already for commenting. Please feel free to edit the article directly to make corrections. --doncram (talk) 20:11, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

Photo caption in the 2010-02-16T19:17:53 (strike that,) WAS also incorrect The photo in the article is NOT a photo of Smith's Kirkcaldy house. However, it is a photo of the more modern building on High Street in Kirkcaldy on which is mounted the plaque I mentioned above. The plaque is located under the lamp that is immediately to the left of the blue GREGGS sign. The plaque is mounted on the right column of the entrance to 220 High Street. I should note that I have photos of the placque, and also several wider views that show the plaque in gradually wider context of modern Kirkcaldy. One of my May 2008 photos shows roughly the same context as the photo now in the article; but I also have a photo of the text on the plaque. As noted above, the text on the plaque belies the claim that was formerly in the photo caption that this 19th-century building was the house in which Smith lived. It is NOT. N2e (talk) 20:22, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

You may wish to look at the Historic Scotland Listed Building Report Nos 218-222 High Street are listed (Cat B) as a 5-bay, 4-storey, classical tenement. It says "Adam Smith (1723-1790) lived in the house previously on this site, a 3-storey building with crowstepped gables to the street, it was demolished 1834. The plaque was erected in 1953 by the Kirkcaldy Naturalists.". Hope that helps.— Rod ^talk 22:08, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

Thanks to everyone for your efforts on cleaning up the incorrect lede and incorrect photo caption. Both Doncram and myself, and a knowledgeable image editor I recruited (Huntster), have also attempted to edit the building file description, and have registered a request to have the photo file title changed. N2e (talk) 23:11, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

Photo of the commemoration plaque

As noted above, but under a section heading that would induce few to read it (since that problem has now been resolved), I have a decent-quality photo of the commemorative plaque, already quoted in the article, that I would be happy to license to the Wikimedia commons if some editor wants it to include in the article. As these things go, the plaque might actually be more relevant to the article than is the 19th Century building that new stands on the spot where Smith's mother's house once stood. Cheers. N2e (talk) 16:50, 14 February 2012 (UTC)