Project of the week

This former Town Hall and jail was built between 1826 and 1830 in castellated Tudor Gothic style to a design by the architect, Thomas Hamilton. It is Category B listed and prominently located on the main road through the seaside village of Kinghorn. The building ceased town hall use following local government re-organisation in 1974. It remained in occasional and limited use as a boy’s club and for dancing classes until the late 1980s, when it suffered fire damage and was boarded up.

When Fife Historic Buildings Trust (FHBT) later stepped in to save the building, AHF made a small grant towards the cost of a feasibility study, which considered a variety of options for its reuse, including offices, restaurant and community use. Restoration works were completed in 2009, generously funded by (then) Historic Scotland. The building was converted into a 3-bed holiday let on upper floors and community meeting space and office for FHBT on the ground floor.

A few years later, FHBT restored the Guard Room in the town hall garden and relocated its office there, while retaining archives and meeting space in the town hall building.

To this day, the hall continues to provide a special place to stay and experience Fife – attracting visitors from across the world.

“AHF’s support helped us rescue this landmark building from the brink of collapse. The holiday let gives Kinghorn Town Hall a long-term use, generates income to support its continued maintenance, and provides valuable ongoing revenue which helps us continue to regenerate historic buildings across Fife.”

Lorraine Bell, FHBT Manager