Description

1666-1671; 20th century addition to rear. 2-storey and attic, 3-bay, L-plan traditional town house with angle turret. Ochre tinted harling to rubble; ashlar turret and dressings. Chamfered basement windows; raised margins with chamfers to 1st and 2nd floors. Crowsteps; beaked skewputts; cat-slide dormers. 20th century lean-to entrance porch to rear NW angle. Charles II plaster armorial panel to interior.

E (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 4 ground floor windows (2 windows to right smaller). 3 windows to 1st and 2nd floors. 2-stage angle turret to far right corbelled out from 1st floor, 3 small square, evenly spaced windows to each stage; string course; conical roof.

N ELEVATION: large 20th century quarter-turn stone stair leading to lean-to doorway extension to far right. Evidence of small square windows (blocked 2003) at 1st stair landing to left and 2nd floor level. Angle-turret to far left.

W (REAR) ELEVATION: advanced crowstepped gabled wing to right. Ground floor window off-centre left; 1st floor window to left; 2nd floor window to right.

S ELEVATION: timber boarded door to right (former window); 1st floor windows to right. Blocked 2nd floor window to right. Small louvred attic floor window to right of gable. Raised rubble profile of house formerly adjoining to centre of gabled elevation with ashlar dressings.

12-pane timber sash and case windows. Pitched roofs, graded grey slates; coped ashlar stacks, circular clay cans.

INTERIOR: converted for the purpose of church hall (1920s), small raised platform to rear at 1st floor level with flanking timber Roman Doric columns; painted plaster Royal armorial over-mantel depicting arms of Charles II (set in N wall).

Statement of Interest

One of Inverkeithing's most intact 17th century buildings situated in the core of the burgh, just beyond the town cross (former location of the mercat cross, removed to Bank Street in 1974). Fordell's Lodging is a very fine example of a 17th century town house built for a local landowner in one of the wealthy coastal towns of Fife. It was built for Sir John Henderson of Fordell, whose main residence was Fordell Castle (see separate listing) which was built in 1580. By a grant of Queen Mary, the family held the office of hereditary provost and sheriff of Inverkeithing, although there is no evidence that this right was ever exercised. The original entrance was at the 1st floor to the rear wing. Later access to the basement was via a former door set at the penultimate bay to left. Fordell's Lodging was converted into a church hall for St Peter's Parish Church in the 1920s. It was around the same period that the traditional houses adjoining Fordell's Lodging to the S (a late 15th century burgess house with an early 17th century extension, known as Scott's House) were demolished to make way for the war memorial (1923 - see separate listing). The gables of these dwellings are still evident.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17569478

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Care and Repair
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living