The abandoned and derelict Priory Campus of Fife College sits between Victoria Road and Kirkcaldy Harbour and comprises a former B-listed building and a more modern building called The Round House. The buildings are in a sad state of disrepair and all windows and doors have been boarded up. The site has also been used as a fly-tipping site with piles of rubbish left by the buildings. The road access from Victoria Road has now been blocked to road traffic. You can walk down this wooded lane to reach the site. There is a small overgrown path with lights at the top of the site just off to the right of the tarmac entrance road which gives you a good view of the Priory House from behind.
The old house, known as The Priory, is a 2-storey, 3-bay Jacobean house with single storey entrance bay. Squared and snecked rubble with ashlar dressings, polished ashlar and harl to single storey bay. Base and eaves courses. Corbelled and crenellated oriel; hoodmoulds and label-stops, stone mullions and moulded arrises.
The Priory was built on the site of St Mary’s House (demolished 1890) purchased by Michael Nairn, floorcloth and linoleum manufacturer, in 1826 from David Landale. The current house (of surprisingly retrogressive style for 1900 but not apparently echoing the earlier St Mary’s) was possibly built as a wedding gift for Michael Nairn’s daughter, but was only inhabited by a family member for a short time after which it became extra office space and included flatted accommodation for staff and visitors. Planning permission for the Gate Lodge, built in 1901 by James Gillespie, was sought by Miss Euphemia Nairn. The Priory is now part of Fife College. (Historic Environment Scotland List Entry)
Walking further down the road towards the harbour you can reach the rear portion of the Dunnikier Union Church with the distinctive small spires.
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Looks like an exciting walk. Shame about The Priory being left to fall to pieces and to be used as a tipping site.
How can this outstanding building be left to decay and rot.Does it belong to Fife Council.If so this is typical of that lot of dead wood.
Can anyone imagine the potential in this beautiful building / house.It doesn’t bear thinking about.This cannot be demolished
Whoever is or was responsible for this once beautiful building should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for letting it go into such terrible delapidation. There are so many buildings in Kirkcaldy that are in the same condition of disrepair and something needs to be done about them. Now I’ve said it, Rant Over!
I grew up in Kirkcaldy , having being born in 1945 , but left for Australia in 1972 , and it greatly saddens me to see so much of Scotland’s past , left to ‘rack ‘n ‘ruin. As a primary school pupil at the North School , one of my friends lived in the Priory along with his family, and I remember visiting the house on several occasions to play . I was sad when his family moved to Weston super- Mare in Somerset ! I was amazed with the opulence of the house , compared to my own ‘working-class’ home . Surely the local Govt. has the funds to restore the building and retain some dignity in their history ?
It breaks my heart to see those photos. I’m sure it belongs to Kirkcaldy Tech College. I lived and worked in the students residence for 2 years when it first opened. It was beautiful and I shared a flat with a colleague. We took great pride working there and l have lots of lovely memories. I can remember sweeping the leaves at the entrance and now it’s just a dumping site.😥😥