Kirkcaldy Town House is a Scandinavian influenced town hall located in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland. The current town house was begun in 1937, from a competition-winning design by architects David Carr and William Howard of Edinburgh. Only the foundations had been put in place before construction was interrupted by the Second World War. Work resumed on the building in 1950 and was completed in two separate phases between 1953 and 1956. The town house would serve as the headquarters of Kirkcaldy Town Council from 1956 to 1975 and then Kirkcaldy District Council from 1975 to 1996. Today, the role of the town house is the headquarters of the local area committee of Fife Council. Kirkcaldy Town House is protected as a Category B listed building.[2]
A decision was made to re-locate the town house in the mid-1930s. The former town house on the High Street was demolished in 1935.[3][4] A site for the new town house was chosen to the north of the town centre, which involved the demolition of three main villas - Adelaide, St Oalfs and Tilehurst - to make space.[5] Construction of the new town house began in 1939 from a competition-winning design by David Carr and William Howard of Edinburgh.[6] Only the foundations of the building had been put in place before work was interrupted by the Second World War. The nearby Osborne House on East Wemyss Place would serve as a temporary town office, for the time being.[5] Work on the town house resumed in 1950.[6] This was split into two phases: the officers' section and the councillors' section. The first phase (including the officers' section) was opened by James Young, then Secretary of State for Scotland on 6 July 1953.[6] The second and final phase (including the councillors' section and unveiling the statue of "The Sower" by Thomas Whalen) of the building was opened by the town provost, David Wright, on 6 July 1956.[6] The town council had their first meeting in the new building on 12 November 1956.[6] In 1975, the town house became the headquarters of Kirkcaldy District Council.[7] Nowadays, the role of the town house is the headquarters of the local area committee of Fife Council.[8]
Description
The main facade of Kirkcaldy Town House
The town house has been described as having a "flat roofline, rectangular profile and somewhat delicate lintel detail - in addition to neo-classical window spacing and a main facade with spindly belfry steeple".[6] The building has been compared to the Scottish National Library on George IV Bridge in Edinburgh for having a modern style with classical or traditional elements and recognised for Scandinavian influences.[1][6] The base of the town house features Darney stone from East Woodburn, with the walls being made from Blaxter stone, both of which were brought north to the town from Northumberland quarries.[4] The surroundings of the main entrance are made of Elverwater stone.[4] The stone on the walls was done by retired masons from around the ages of 65 to 80.[6] The clock tower of Nordic influence, which sits on top of the building, complete with a weather vane, shows St Bryce, the patron saint of Kirkcaldy.[1][6] The unique design was done by David Carr of Edinburgh.[6] A small copper ball, 3 feet (0.91m) in diameter, at the bottom of the vane, is supposed to represent the world.[4][6] The figure is located at the top of the 20-foot (6.1m) weather vane with the intention he can look across the town as the vane turns around in the wind, with the world at his feet.[4] The vane, probably made of wrought iron, was designed by Thomas Hadden of Edinburgh.[6]
At the back of the town house lie six of the seven provost's lamps of the former royal burghs within Kirkcaldy district.[4][9] The six lamps are from: Kirkcaldy, Burntisland, Kinghorn, Leven, and Buckhaven and Methil.[4] These lamps once stood outside the houses of senior councillors, and were all brought to this site when the royal burghs were abolished in 1975.[10] Only the lamp for Leslie is not there.[4][9] Around the building, both of the town's two coats of arms can be seen.[6] The spiritual coat of arms showing St Bryce is located at the south entrance and the one which depicts Dunfermline Abbey is at the west entrance.[6] Inside the building itself, displayed across the stairwell is a mural designed by Walter Pritchard of the Glasgow School of Art.[6] This makes references to the industries associated with the town such as linoleum, coal mining and weaving.[6] Other references are to famous people such as Adam Smith and the Adam Brothers. Charles II is shown granting the town its royal burgh status in 1644, received by a figure in a Sinclair tartan.[6]
↑ Durie Britain in old photographs: Kirkcaldy and East Fife p.75.
Bibliography
Brown, Hamish (1994). The Fife Coast. Mainstream. ISBN1-85158-608-3.
Glen, Duncan (2004). Kirkcaldy: A New Illustrated History. Akros Publications. ISBN0-86142-146-9.
Durie, Bruce (2002). Kirkcaldy and East Fife. Britain in Old Photographs. History Press. ISBN978-0-7509-2829-8.
Pearson, John M. (1993). Around Kirkcaldy. Levenmouth Printers.
Pride, Glen (1990). The Kingdom of Fife: An Illustrated Architectural Guide. RIAS illustrated architectural guides to Scotland. Rutland Press. ISBN1-85158-256-8.
Related Research Articles
Fife is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire. By custom it is widely held to have been one of the major Pictish kingdoms, known as Fib, and is still commonly known as the Kingdom of Fife within Scotland. A person from Fife is known as a Fifer. In older documents the county was very occasionally known by the anglicisation Fifeshire.
Dunfermline is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground 3 miles (5 km) from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. According to the National Records of Scotland, the greater Dunfermline area has a population of 76,210.
Kirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about 11.6 miles (19 km) north of Edinburgh and 27.6 miles (44 km) south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, making it Fife's second-largest settlement and the 12th most populous settlement in Scotland.
Cupar is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fife, and the civil parish a population of 11,183. It is the historic county town of Fife, although the council now sits at Glenrothes.
Dysart is a town and former royal burgh located on the south-east coast between Kirkcaldy and West Wemyss in Fife, Scotland. Dysart was once part of a wider estate owned by the St Clair or Sinclair family. They were responsible for gaining burgh of barony status for the town towards the end of the 15th century.
Fife Council is the local authority for the Fife area of Scotland and is the third largest Scottish council by number of councillors, having 75 elected council members.
Levenmouth is a conurbation comprising a network of settlements on the north side of the Firth of Forth, in Fife on the east coast of Scotland. It consists of three principal coastal towns; Leven, Buckhaven, and Methil, and a number of villages and hamlets inland. The industrial towns of Buckhaven and Methil lie on the west bank of the River Leven, and the resort town of Leven is on the east bank. The "Bawbee Bridge" links the two sides of the river. Historically, Buckhaven and Methil were joined together as one burgh, while Leven was separate. The area had an estimated population of 37,238 in 2006.
Kirkcaldy was a local government district in the Fife region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996. The district was named after the town of Kirkcaldy but also covered a wider area, including the Fife regional capital of Glenrothes.
Kirkcaldy is a former royal burgh and town. Known as one of Scotland's "most ancient burghs", the area surrounding the modern town has a history dating as far back as between 2500 BC and 500 BC as a possible funerary landscape.
The City of Edinburgh Council is the local government authority covering the City of Edinburgh council area. Almost half of the council area is the area of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. With a population of 526,470 in mid-2019, it is the second most populous local authority area in Scotland.
Scoonie is a settlement and parish in Fife, Scotland, the parish contains the town of Leven. It is bordered on the north by the parishes of Kettle and Ceres, on the east by the parish of Largo, on the south by the parishes of Markinch and Wemyss, and on the west by the parishes of Markinch and Kennoway. It extends about 4+1⁄2 miles north to south. Its width varies between 5⁄8 and 2+3⁄4 mi . The parish is on the coast of the Firth of Forth, with a coastline of about 1+1⁄2 mi (2.4 km) The area of the parish is 4,107 acres.
James Oswald was a member of the Parliament of Scotland, 1703-1707, representing Kirkcaldy and, later, the member for Dysart Burghs in the House of Commons of Great Britain.
Linlithgow Burgh Halls is a municipal structure at The Cross, Linlithgow, Scotland. The complex includes the Town House, the former headquarters of Linlithgow Burgh Council, which is a Category A listed building. and the Old County Hall, the former headquarters of West Lothian County Council, which is a Category B listed building.
Cupar Burgh Chambers is a municipal structure in St Catherine Street in Cupar, Fife, Scotland. The building, which was the meeting place of Cupar Burgh Council, is a Category B listed building.
Crail Tolbooth and Town Hall is a municipal structure in Crail, Fife, Scotland. The building, which stands in Marketgate, at its junction with Tolbooth Wynd, is Category A listed.
Culross Town House, also known as Culross Tolbooth, is a municipal structure in the Sandhaven area of Culross, Fife, Scotland. The building, which now serves as a visitor centre, is Category A listed.
Inverkeithing Town House is a municipal building in the Townhall Street, Inverkeithing, Fife, Scotland. The structure, which is used as a base by members of the local community council, is a Category A listed building.
Dysart Tolbooth and Town House is a municipal building in the High Street, Dysart, Fife, Scotland. The structure, which was comprehensively restored in 2009, is a Category A listed building.
Dreel Halls is a municipal complex in Elizabeth Place, Anstruther Wester, Fife, Scotland. The complex, which is used as a community events venue, consists of the former St Nicholas's Parish Church, which is a Category A listed building, and the former Anstruther Wester Town Hall, which is a Category C listed building.
Strathmiglo Town House is a municipal structure in the High Street, Strathmiglo, Fife, Scotland. The structure, which is now disused, is a Category A listed building.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
