Whytehouse Mansions, 71 High Street, Kirkcaldy, Kirkcaldy, Fife

Entry Name: Whytehouse Mansions, 71 High Street, Kirkcaldy

Listing Name: 67-87 (Odd Nos) High Street and 1-9 (Odd Nos) Whytecauseway, Whytehouse Mansions

Listing Date: 27 February 1997

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 390694

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB44013

Building Class: Cultural

Also known as: Kirkcaldy, 71 High Street, Whytehouse Mansions

ID on this website: 200390694

Location: Kirkcaldy

County: Fife

Town: Kirkcaldy

Electoral Ward: Kirkcaldy Central

Traditional County: Fife

Tagged with: Tenement

Description

Robert Little, 1895-8 (dated 1898). 3-storey and attic Baronial tenement with shops at ground, on ground falling to S, corner site. Squared and snecked rubble with ashlar quoins and dressings, rusticated to SE. Ground floor cornice, mutuled dividing course and eaves cornice. Corbels, crowstepped gables and windowheads, segmental-headed openings, voussoirs, hoodmould with label-stops, keystone, stop- chamfered arrises and stone mullions. Small blind oculi between 1st floor windows (except to centre).

S (HIGH STREET) ELEVATION: 14 symmetrical bays (grouped 6-2-6) and

3 further bays adjoining corner tower to outer right. Lower block to left with centre door shop and flanking display windows to ground floor of slightly advanced centre bays, 2 bipartite windows to 1st floor flanking stepped corbel table of 2nd floor arched over each bipartite window, small window in gablehead with corbelled stack above; ball finialled, corbelled and moulded square dies to outer skews. Bays to right of centre with mutuled cornice and block pediment to moulded surround of pend entrance in penultimate bay to left, modern shop beyond to left and 3 modern shops to right. 1st floor with bipartite windows flanking stepped corbel to centre forming mouldings as above, further window and bipartite window to flanking bays. Regular fenestration to 2nd floor, bipartite to right of centre with continuation of stepped corbelling to right, all bipartites with windowheads breaking eaves into crowstepped gablets with moulding in gablehead, and stack piercing left side of gablet to left of centre. Bays to left of centre mirror those to right. 3 bays adjoining corner tower to right with modern shop to left and display window to right at ground (both corniced and bracketed), bipartite windows to left of centre and 2 windows to right to each floor above, corbelled outer bays to attic; stepped corbel to 1st floor between centre and right bays extending to 2nd floor to incorporate centre window, and further corbel to outer right extending to stack at attic level; attic with moulded tablet between centre and right bays and broad stack above piercing gable, gablet to left with tiny corbelled turret with gunloop to outer left.

SE (CORNER) TOWER: large display window (former door) to ground with deep fascia above; 1st and 2nd floors flanked by corbelled rusticated pilasters, tripartite window to 1st floor with band above inscribed 'WHYTEHOUSE MANSIONS' and carved monograms 'W, E? and C?' at head of flanking pilasters, 2nd floor also with tripartite window with raised centre light and keystoned elliptical-arched moulding springing from pilasters, corbel table above adjoining cornice; further tripartite to attic level with datestone below stepped hoodmould and label-stops, narrow light in ball-finialled gablehead and tiny flanking corbelled turrets with gunloops.

E (WHYTECAUSEWAY) ELEVATION: 9 bays (grouped 6-3) adjoining corner tower to left. Ground floor of lower block to right with pend entrance to left of centre, shop beyond to left and 2 further shops to right and carriage entrance to outer right; 1st and 2nd floors with bipartite window to centre, 2 windows to right and further bipartite to outer right, window and bipartite window to left. 3 bays adjoining corner tower with 2 shops to ground, bipartite window to right and 3 windows to left to each floor above. Corbelling, windowheads and decorative details similar to S elevation.

N AND W ELEVATIONS: variety of elements including cantilevered walkways with round-headed openings to piended stairtowers, cast-iron bracketed canopies and railings.

Small pane and plate glass glazing patterns in timber sash and case windows to S 1st floor, 2nd floor bays 3-8, 10-17 and 3rd floor; SW 1st and 2nd floor; E 1st and 2nd floors bays 1-6. Grey slates. Coped ashlar skews, beak and scroll skewputts, and ashlar-coped stacks with cans. Cast-iron downpipes with decorative rainwater hoppers.

Statement of Interest

The corner site was previously the Kirkcaldy Cafe, a Gothenburg Public House. An impressive and extensive late Baronial burgh tenement.

External Links

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