Description

Dated 1674; rebuilt 1788. Choir and organ chamber by John Murray in 1898. Interior modernised by Walker & Pride, 1975 (see Notes). Aisless, rectangular-plan church with centre bow to N and Gothic details; 2-stage tower and spire. Squared and snecked rubble, part stugged; ashlar dressings. Raised base course and moulded eaves course; band course, mutuled cornice and crenellated parapet to tower. Ashlar doorcase; pointed-arch openings, voussoirs, stone mullions.

N (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: symmetrical, square-headed openings to ground. Large conical-roofed bowed bay to centre with corniced, moulded doorcase and flanking small windows; large bipartite window over, and flanking lower swept-roof bays in re-entrance angles each with 3 small windows and with further window on outer returns.

W ELEVATION: advanced tower (see below) to centre with tall window to flanking recessed faces; low catslide-roofed bay with crenellated eaves in re-entrant angle to left with window over basement door, and tiny window to right with further door to left on return to left.

TOWER: square, 2-stage tower with crenellated parapet and short conical spire. 1st stage with recessed, Y-traceried window to W. Band course above giving way to tall 2nd stage with triangular window abutting band course and louvered oculus close to parapet at W and date stone high up to N. 3 diminishing size oval lucarnes to each face of spire, decorative iron weathervane finial.

S ELEVATION: later projecting bay to centre with 2 windows at raised basement, lancet to centre above with glazed oculus over, further lancet to each return and traceried window to recessed flanking bays.

E ELEVATION: projecting bay with tall traceried window to centre.

Multi-pane leaded lights, some with coloured margins (stained glass see below). Graded grey slates.

INTERIOR: mostly 1975. Vestry and session room flank main door; glazed screen doors to horseshoe galleried interior with modern fixed timber pews oriented to S with raised chancel and organ. Stained glass memorial windows of 1883 probably by Ballantine & Son flanking chancel; 2 lights in N gallery (1886) of Spring and Autumn, by same artist. 2 further lights in chancel from Raith Church (see Notes).

Statement of Interest

Ecclesiastical building in use as such. Abbotshall was created a separate parish in 1650, with Patrick Wemyss as the first minister of Abbotshall Church. The parish was incorporated with Kirkcaldy Burgh in 1876. A new organ chamber, with organ by J J Binns, was installed in 1898. Raith Parish Church, stemming from a Mission church of Abbotshall, rejoined the mother church in 1964, at which time the stained glass windows in the chancel area were removed from the decommissioned Raith Church. Walker & Pride's early 1970s interior modernisation included connecting the older separate Linktown tradesmen's lofts of Hammermen's Loft (E), Weavers (W), and the Raith gallery (N) around a new raised chancel; the entrance was relocated and glass screen inserted.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17806509

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

• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014