Archaeology Notes

Event ID 644161

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/644161

NT29SE 188 28306 91801

See also:

NT29SE 189 NT 28313 91803 341 High Street

NT29SE 190 NT 28312 91807 343 High Street

NT 2833 9180 An archaeological excavation and survey by Kirkdale Archaeology was completed on the site of the Merchant's House at 339-343 High Street, Kirkcaldy, in April and May of 1997. Specialist structural advice was provided by the School of Building Science at Heriot Watt University. The present house was built toward the end of the 16th century, and now belongs to the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust, who are actively engaged in its refurbishment and restoration.

Surviving within the house are fine examples of 17th-century plaster ceilings, with earlier painted ceilings preserved beneath these, and extensive 18th-century panelling along some of the walls. The N wall of the second-floor interior also contains a mural depicting a late 16th or early 17th-century galleon. Large stone fireplaces survive in the N wall, with added gable chimneys in the E and W walls. The house is presently accessed via a central pend leading to a turnpike stair adjoining the house to the N, but there is some evidence to suggest that this had replaced an original stair in the S facade of the building.

The aim of the recent fieldwork was twofold. Firstly the house was to be textually, graphically and photographically recorded, with the second element comprising the excavation of the ground-floor deposits and the archaeological investigation of the garden and yard to the N of the house. The garden excavations revealed that a substantial depth of topsoil had been imported in the 19th century, sealing the earlier 17th and 18th-century garden horizons. Bee-boles were recorded in the long walls of the garden, a fairly typical feature in coastal Fife towns of this date. The excavation within the interior revealed a system of drains and dwarf walls, alongside evidence for a series of uprights along the S facade of the present house.

The excavation revealed eight periods of activity on the site of the present house:

Pre-1500 Settlement at or near the present house site, with activity on the natural slope to the (site) N of the house.

1500-1550 The first house, possibly single storey.

1550-1600 First version of the present layout/structure. Ground floor with two upper floors, no attic space. Evidence of upright elements at ground floor on the S, W and E sides. External stair on S side. Two chambers at ground-floor level, kitchen to the E and service space to the W.

1600-1660 Sub-division of the main rooms, addition of the painted ceilings and new fireplaces in the gables. Creation of attic space. Transition from open area to more discrete chambers.

1660-1800 Extensive panelling and plaster ceilings at first and second floor. Remodelled S stair and extension of the E, W and S walls at ground-floor level. Addition of the E and W ranges. Rationalisation of the back-lot to form semi-formal gardens with bee-boles, etc. Further sub-division of the ground-floor rooms, and possible conversion of the kitchen to commercial/industrial use.

1800-1840 Creation of the ground-floor pend, removal of the S stair and its replacement with the N turnpike stair. Multi-occupancy of the house.

1840-1966 Continued multiple occupancy and establishment of a sequence of shops at ground-floor level.

1966-1993 Gradual decline in the condition of the property prior to the programme of restoration and recording.

Sponsor: Scottish Historic Buildings Trust.

G Ewart and A Dunn 1997

16th-century town house. Monitoring and building analysis was undertaken during ongoing restoration works between 2003 and 2005. Building on the survey works already completed and previously reported (DES 1997, 39-40), the second major phase of restoration involved recording during works to the interiors of the main range fronting onto the High Street, and general works to the two rear ranges and court behind.

Early masonry structure - ?mid-16th century. The outline of the first archaeologically attested building on the site was defined - a N-S rectangular structure set back from the existing street frontage. The existing rear wall of the main range probably incorporates parts of this structure, as do the two gable walls to N and S where standing remains were recorded. At the SE and NE corners stumps of early street frontage windows remained in situ, with evidence for relieving arches over; in contrast to all later phases these were detailed with chamfered arises. They lay on the line of a N-S masonry footing previously excavated within the two present shop interiors. Parts of the existing ground floor ceiling structure to the N may survive from this phase. It is suggested that the early structure dates to the 16th century.

c 1580-1600. The early building was extensively remodelled at the end of the 16th century, attaining its present height of three full storeys and loft over. The existing street facade line, roof and floor structures date from this time. The building was ashlar-fronted, with fewer windows than at present and probably relatively simply appointed at ground floor level. An internal entrance led to a stone turnpike stair, the smaller windows of which still survive on the frontage. The internal arrangements of the building were largely deduced at each level for the first time, mainly as a result of the analysis of surviving woodwork and the extent of painted ceiling decoration.

Knowledge of the extensive sequence of decorative painted interior schemes was considerably added to. This included the new discovery of a painted ceiling panel at the foot of the turnpike stair (by the same hand as a scheme seen at Sailor's Walk, on the High Street a little further to the NE) and, on the N gable wall within the shop interior, a cartouche of the arms of the Burgh of Kirkcaldy. The previously identified first floor ceiling schemes were more systematically mapped, as was evidence for paintwork on surviving internal wooden partition framing of this phase. Partition

boarding with decorative edge mouldings, now seen within the loft space, was deduced to have originated within the main apartments at either first or second floor level.

The building at this stage had two rear wings. While relatively little survived of the wing to the NE, the existing NW range was discovered to be relatively intact, even preserving parts of its roof structure. This evidence was employed in its restoration.

c 1680. Considerable further evidence was recorded for a major refurbishment of the principal first and second floor interiors of Law's Close at the end of the 17th century. The frontage fenestration was re-ordered, with existing windows extended and new windows inserted. Internally, all of the principal rooms were lined out with bolection-moulded panelling and moulded plastered ceilings. The restoration work revealed the presence of decorative schemes upon

the panelling, including false-graining to simulate rare woods and stones, particularly marble. At second floor level there were further grained interiors and, to the S, an interior with false-graining detailed with painted geometric marquetry, oystered inlay, and tortoiseshell-patterned mouldings of Dutch character.

The re-ordered interior plans at this phase were also largely deduced. The first floor room to the S was expanded into the hall to the N, and to the W. At second floor level there were probable bed recesses at the NW and NE corners of the range.

Mid-18th century. In the first floor chamber to the N, possible evidence for an original tapestry hanging was overlain by the surviving remnants of an early to mid-18th-century scheme of red flock wallpaper upon stretched canvas, associated with teal-blue painted panelling elsewhere.

Beginning of the 19th century. The end of the 18th century onwards saw a general decline in status, sub-division and tenant occupancy. The existing pend was inserted following the removal of the turnpike stair and the addition of a new stair tower to the rear. The pend gave better access to new commercial premises, including a bakery within the close to the rear.

Archive to be deposited in NMRS.

Sponsor: Scottish Historic Building Trust.

T Addyman 2005.