[3] In its early days Limekilns was mainly a fishing village, with the large natural harbour, sheltered by the rocky ridge known as The Ghauts, providing docking facilities for small to medium transport and cargo ships.

From here ships traded with the ports in the Baltic Sea and France until the seventeenth century when the Union of the Crowns saw the royal interests move south to London.

[7] The importance of the local limestone became clear quite early in the village's history, being used both as a fertiliser and for the manufacture of mortar used in the construction of stone buildings.

Workings using kilns fuelled by charcoal and later coal to convert lime to quicklime grew up, the product being exported from the port along the east coast of Scotland.

This found an echo in Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped: and it was from Limekilns that David Balfour and Alan Breck were carried across the Forth in a rowing boat.

[11] The village has a range of amenities including a primary school,[12] doctor's surgery,[13] shops and a Sea Scout Group[14] as well as a Guide unit.