Description

17th century. Traditional tenement set at right angle and linked via mutual stair tower to early 19th century tenement with ground floor shop fronting High Street. 17th century building: 3-storey and attic, rectangular plan. Random rubble (formerly harled); droved rybats; chamfered openings. Crow-stepped gable to N. Early 19th century building: symmetrical, 3-storey and attic, 3 wide bays (5 bays at ground floor). Droved painted ashlar at ground floor; squared sandstone rubble at upper floors. String course, stone cills; quoin strips. Bowed dormers; full-height round stair tower to rear.

E (HIGH STREET) ELEVATION: early 19th century tenement: door off-centre right, flanking windows; window to far left; close door to far right (through to rear). 3 windows at 1st and 2nd floors. 2 bowed slate hung dormers to outer bays; central roof-light.

N (SIDE) ELEVATION: early 19th century tenement adjoins No 77 High Street to left. Round, full-height, 3-stage stair tower (early 19th century) at re-entrant angle; small window at 1st stage, single windows to 2nd and 3rd stage, conical roof. Close door, ground floor window, window at 1st and 2nd floors, all to left return (rear of 19th century tenement). Lean-to brick coal shed (boarded up) abutting tower to right. Central window at 1st and 2nd floors (17th century section); 2 late 20th century roof lights.

W (REAR) ELEVATION: gable end of 17th century block. Ground floor window to left (blocked); 2 windows to outer edge at 1st and 2nd floors. 2 small square attic floor windows.

S (SIDE) ELEVATION: partially seen. 19th century tenement adjoins No 83 High Street to right. Window at 1st and 2nd floors. Central wide cat-slide dormer; roof-light to left.

12-pane timber sash and case windows to early 19th century tenement. 4- and 8-pane timber sash and case windows (6-pane timber casement windows at 1st floor) to 17th century tenement. Pitched roofs; grey slates; 17th century beaked skewputts to N gable; straight stone skews to 19th century tenement; coped ashlar stacks to gableheads (17th century stack to N rebuilt, 1979-1980); 17th century stack on ridge at juncture with 19th century tenement.

INTERIOR: turnpike stone stair with cast-iron balusters; window openings to 19th century tenement with original shutters, otherwise no original fabric remaining.

WASH HOUSE AND BOUNDARY WALLS: early 19th century, 1½-storey, square-plan, lean-to wash house. Squared rubble; droved ashlar quoins; straight ashlar skews. Door and 2 small windows to E; blocked window to W. Concrete roof tiles; coped ashlar chimney; octagonal clay cans. Stone coped boundary wall to N, W and S. Square-plan ashlar pier with ball finial and cast-iron railings with flèche finials incorporated into wall to N.

Statement of Interest

One of Inverkeithing's few remaining traditional 17th century tenements set to rear of early 19th century tenement of restrained late Georgian character. Particularly pleasing to the street elevation are the bowed dormers akin to Edinburgh's New Town and the original dimension of the shop windows and doors which have not yet succumbed to 20th century picture window modernisation. The substantial stair tower to the rear cleverly connects the two buildings. This ensemble of buildings stands apart from many of the once handsome buildings of Inverkeithing's High Street whose fenestration and elevations have been unsympathetically altered. The 17th century building was refurbished in 1979-1980.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17794033

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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