Description

Late 18th century, enlarged 1838. 2-storey, 9-bay, rectangular-plan, flat-roofed former flax mill with vaulted interior. Stugged, squared and snecked rubble with droved ashlar quoins. Eaves cornice and blocking course. Segmental-headed opening.

SE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 2-leaf doors to segmental-headed arch at ground with blinded opening above in penultimate bay to right, and blocked opening to outer right at ground. 7 windows to left at each floor.

NW ELEVATION: regular fenestration to rear elevation.

SE ELEVATION: single storey elevation with slated pitched roof. 2-leaf panelled timber door to centre with blocked doors in flanking bays.

Small-pane glazing patterns to 1st floor SE and NW, mostly plate glass glazing in timber windows to ground SE.

INTERIOR: shallow brick barrel-vaults, rendered, on cast-iron columns, narrower columns to further vaulted 1st floor.

Statement of Interest

The OSA comments upon "a manufacture (which) had sprung up, which promises fair at present to render Kinghorn one of the most flourishing towns upon the coast of Fife; this is, the teasing, and rolling, and spinning of cotton and flax, by means of the Arkwright and Darlington machinery", (p239). At that time there were 4 mills already running and a fifth planned for the same year. By 1845 St Leonard's flax spinning mill employed over 300 workers. It was taken over and improved by Messrs Swan of Kirkcaldy who also owned other mills in Kinghorn. However, flax spinning ceased here in 1865, and in all Swans' mills by 1886. The building was unused until 1900, and is now (1999) engineering premises. St Leonard's Court (formerly part of St Leonard's Mill) is listed separately.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77776852

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

• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)