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Pittenweem, High Street. General view from south west showing church before Rose Window was installed

SC 747809

Description Pittenweem, High Street. General view from south west showing church before Rose Window was installed

Date c. 1889

Collection Papers of Erskine Beveridge, antiquarian, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

Catalogue Number SC 747809

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of F 2039

Scope and Content Tolbooth, High Street, Pittenweem, Fife, from the west The Tolbooth, a massive square tower integrated with the west gable of the Parish Church, stands at the east end of High Street. The tower, dating from 1588, was the seat of civic power in the burgh, and was used as a prison and for other civic purposes. This photograph was taken by Erskine Beveridge c.1882. The tower has five principal stages, with the lower stages dating from the late 16th century, and the top stage and spire probably added in the first half of the 17th century. The fifth storey, which houses the clock and bells, is corbelled out from the main wall-line, and surmounted by an elaborate corbelled parapet. The parapet has groups of three balusters set between panelled central and angle-pillars, each surmounted by obelisks, and waterspouts which resemble gun-barrels, presumably to give the building a military aspect. The octagonal spire is topped by a weather-cock dating from 1739. The burgh's Mercat Cross, a tall stone shaft dating from 1736, can be seen to the right of the door on the west wall of the tower. The ground floor is barrel-vaulted and earth-floored, and entered by a doorway in the west front of the building. It had no access to the upper floors, although there were openings, presumably for bell-ropes, in the vault. A circular stair-tower, projecting from the north-east wall of the tower, provided access to the upper floors. The first-floor, with a central window in the west gable, was occupied by the council chamber. The steeple was used for the detention of alleged witches in 1704, and there are references to the 'thief's hole', perhaps the ground floor of the tower, and a 'dark dungeon'. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/747809

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap

Collection Hierarchy - Item Level

Collection Level (551 59) Papers of Erskine Beveridge, antiquarian, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

> Item Level (SC 747809) Pittenweem, High Street. General view from south west showing church before Rose Window was installed

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Attribution: © Courtesy of HES (Erskine Beveridge Collection)

Licence Type: Full

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