Viewforth High School Annex, Loughborough Road, Kirkcaldy

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Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved. © Copyright and database right 2024.

General Details and Location

Category
AT RISK
Name of Building
Viewforth High School Annex
Other Name(s)
Eastbank
Address
Loughborough Road, Kirkcaldy
Locality
Postcode
Planning Authority
Divisional Area
Reference No
4938
Listing Category
B
OS Grid Ref
NT 29535 93068
Location Type
Urban
HS Reference No
45538

Description

2-storey and attic, Scots baronial villa with tower. Snecked bull-faced ashlar with polished dressings. Part base-course, moulded string course and stepped hoodmoulds to W, S and E; eaves cornice, mutuled over N stair window. 2-stage angle buttresses: segmental-headed openings; corbels; stone transoms and mullions; stop-chamfered arrises. All windows breaking eaves with monogrammed pediments and stone finials. 4-pane and plate glass glazing patterns in timber sash and case windows. Grey slates. Coped ashlar stacks and ashlar-coped skews. Cast-iron downpipes with decorative rainwater hoppers.

By 1885 the annexe, formerly known as Eastbank House, was occupied by (and probably built for) John Scott, engineer and shipbuilder of Whitebank Engineering Works, Dunnikier Road and Abden Shipbuilding Yard, Kinghorn. Henry William Hutchison, of East Bridge Flour Mills, purchased Eastbank in 1902 and employed William Williamson to carry out significant alterations including the canted corner at the east elevation, the hall, stair window and NW parlour. Fife County Council purchased the building in 1929. A variety of initials occur on the monogrammed pediments, 'ESM' (W), 'PR, ES' (S) 'JS, JSK' (E). The small windows in the NW parlour have country scenes and wording "Flowers are lovely, love is flowerlike and friendship is a sheltering tree" and "The morning hour has gold in its hand". William Williamson's 1903 drawing shows an elegant verandah to centre south and the stable block is detailed with washhouse and stair up to laundry at W. (Historic Scotland)
Building Dates
Circa 1870, 1903
Architects
Altered by William Williamson

Category of Risk and Development History

Condition
Ruinous
Category of Risk
High
Exemptions to State of Risk
Field Visits
27/01/2011, 28/5/2014, 02/08/2018
Development History
January 2011: External inspection finds the building in fair condition but appears to be unused.
19 September 2012: A member of the public advises Fife Council is considering options for Viewforth School. Fife Today reported in Aug 2012 that the Council was exploring ways to replace the current buildings, rated as being amongst the poorest condition of secondary schools in the area. One option being considered is merging Viewforth with another local school on a new site.
28 May 2014: External inspection finds the building's condition has declined since the previous site visit. Condition moved to Poor and Risk to Moderate. Fife Council is understood to be pursuing the construction of a new school to replace Viewforth - of which the annex was formerly part of - on a different site within Kirkcaldy.
4 October 2017: Local planners report on a fire at the disused school building and forward images of the fire-damaged building. Condition moved to Ruinous and Risk to High.
2 August 2018: External inspection finds the East wing of the building extensively fire-damaged. Part of the roof is gone entirely with only the timbers remaining on the South Elelvation roof. It appears that there has been extensive internal damage to this side of the building. Externally the West Entrance Elevation remains in much the same condition as seen previously. Secure metal fencing has been erected around the building. Some windows are now completely missing, many are boarded. There are some vegetation growths throughout. The grounds are in need of maintenance. 'Keep Out' signs have been erected. It was not possible to inspect the building from the South.
17 August 2020: Various news sources report on a fire (15/8/2020) at the former Viewforth school complex. Photographs published on Fife Today's website show the fire appears to have been concentrated within a single storey range (which us now a roofless). It is unclear whether the Stables/ Washhouse and Annex buildings have been damaged.
30 April 2021: Listed building consent is being sought for demolition of outbuilding and alterations to boundary walls to create site access, ref: 21/00898/LBC.
20 October 2021: A member of the public notes the fire damaged material at the site appears to have been cleared.

Guides to Development

Conservation Area
Planning Authority Contact
PAC Telephone Number

Availability

Current Availability
Unknown
Appointed Agents
Price
Occupancy
Vacant
Occupancy Type
N/A
Present/Former Uses
Name of Owners
Fife Council
Type of Ownership
Local Authority

Information Services

Additional Contacts/Information Source
Bibliography
Online Resources
Classification
Middle-sized Houses
Original Entry Date
20-MAY-11
Date of Last Edit
04/10/2017