Inverkeithing Heritage Regeneration (2019 – 2024)
Fife Historic Buildings Trust is working with Fife Council and the local community to deliver the Inverkeithing Heritage Regeneration project. Here is a taster of what is happening, and you can find more information in the tabs above:
- Inverkeithing’s Town House is being restored to create a community hub that will be accessible to everyone. Local people have set up a community organisation that will manage the building in the long-term.
- A major uplift to the High Street will include new paving and the restoration of historic features. The Mercat Cross will be moved from its current location in Bank Street to the heart of the town.
- A grant scheme for buildings in the High Street area is helping private owners to repair or improve their properties using traditional materials and skills. Owners can also get advice on how to look after their historic property and improve energy efficiency.
- An exciting activity programme is raising awareness of Inverkeithing’s rich history and promoting good practice in looking after traditional buildings.
Interim Evaluation Report (Year 3)
Interim Evaluation Report (Year 4)
If you have any questions please email or call us on 01592 890060. You can also join our mailing list to receive regular updates and newsletters.
A big thank you to the project funders, including the National Lottery Heritage Fund (through their Townscape Heritage programme), Historic Environment Scotland (through their Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme), Fife Council, the Scottish Government (through their Regeneration Capital Grant Fund), and Crown Estates. In total, over £3.6 million will be invested in Inverkeithing’s heritage during the five-year project, which runs from 2019 to 2024.
Made Possible With
The £1.5 million project to repair Inverkeithing’s A listed Town House and create a vibrant community hub managed by the local community, is nearing completion.
The landmark historic building has been repaired to safeguard if for the future, and adapted to create an accessible community use space in the town centre. Once works are completed, the Town House will be a busy space again, used by all generations for meetings, birthday parties, exhibitions, dance, and much more: Town House 3D Plans
The Old Town House Inverkeithing, a new community charity set up with support from Community Enterprise to manage the building, hope that the Town House will open to the public in the summer. They are looking for support from anyone who would like to get involved in running the building. If you think you can help with marketing, income generation – or anything else – they would love to hear from you. Follow their Facebook page for updates: The Old Town House, Inverkeithing | Facebook
The building works contract is administered by conservation accredited ARC Architects with specialist input from Ralph Ogg & Partners (Quantity Surveyor), Harley Haddow (Services Engineer) and David Narro Associates (Structural Engineer). The contractor is Ashwood Scotland Ltd.
Improvements to the High Street and Mercat Cross in the town centre will form a major part of the Inverkeithing Heritage Regeneration scheme. A first phase of works, in front of the Civic Centre, has now been completed. The main phase of the construction works, focused on the High Street and Mercat Cross, will begin in 2024.
The improvement works are managed by Fife Council. You can view the plans on Fife Council’s planning portal here, or follow the links below to find out more
Inverkeithing has a superb architectural heritage, reflected in its many listed buildings and large Conservation Area, and these historic buildings need regular care and attention.
Training and Advice
We provide training and building maintenance advice to property owners and tenants, to help them repair and conserve the external fabric and traditional appearance of their buildings.
We have recorded some of our seminars on traditional building maintenance for property owners, where our guest speakers shared their extensive knowledge and experience with us. These are available to watch on YouTube, and are well-worth dipping into for building maintenance hints and tips.
Other useful sources of information include:
- Under One Roof: underoneroof.scot
- The Engine Shed: engineshed.scot
Inverkeithing Building Repair Grant Scheme
A limited number of grants are available for properties within the Inverkeithing Heritage Regeneration grant scheme area – an area at the heart of the Conservation Area that we have agreed with our funders as a priority for grant support. Grants can support sensitive repairs to the external fabric of historic buildings using traditional materials and skills. The reinstatement of architectural features and details can also be funded. More detail can be found here Inverkeithing Grants Leaflet.
Please email or call 01592 890060 for more information and to register your interest.
A stone and slate survey of the historic centre of Inverkeithing was carried out in 2020 by the Scottish Lime Centre Trust. The survey report outlines the condition of the traditional buildings (those built before 1919) and their main repair and maintenance needs. It also identifies suitable matching stone, slate and mortar for use in repairs.
To identify Inverkeithing’s stones, stone cores were taken from a representative sample of buildings. These were analysed in the lab to identify the unique characteristics and properties of each stone sample, including colour, density and water absorption. Local mortars and sands were also analysed.
The stone samples were compared against samples taken from historic quarry sites to identify the original source of the stone. They were also compared against data from quarries that are currently in operation, to identify suitably matching stones that can be used in masonry repairs today. This is important because incompatible replacement stone can damage the surrounding masonry and look unsightly.
The survey report is a useful resource for contractors, specifiers and property owners. You can read a summary here, or follow the links below for the full report.
A Building Stone Survey for Inverkeithing Conservation Area, Fife Final 2021
Appendix C – Stone analysis reports
Appendix D – Mortar analysis reports
Appendix G – Stone distribution map PA
Appendix H – Historic Quarry Locations
Appendix J – General guidance on Lime Work
Appendix K – Mortar Skew Fillet and Key (with specification)
Appendix L – Generic Specifications
Appendix M – Generic ashlar grouting powerpoint
Conservation Engineering to Transform Inverkeithing Town House: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpG2wU8UYSk
Property Maintenance Series – Talk 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-F_mUHoEHI
Property Maintenance Series – Talk 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X68ybnEt5rE&t=39s
no images were found
[/video]
Here at Fife Historic Buildings Trust, we really love your creativity, thank you for letting us share your pictures, Anya, Dylan, Maya, Eilidh, James, Anais, Lily and Jane.
If you have made and coloured a model, we’d love to see it too. Please send us your pictures, to .
Inverkeithing podcasts
The Inverkeithing Heritage Regeneration podcast, Series 1, was launched in 2020. Listen to episodes about Inverkeithing and pirates, the plague, find out more about the Town House. Subscribe, to find out new information currently being uncovered about Inverkeithing’s relationship to the Scottish Wars of Independence, and Inverkeithing’s direct connection to the Declaration of Arbroath. The episode descriptions have links to sources of further information on the topic.
Subscribe, and never miss an episode, on:
- Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2EmbfTC9wn7NRz6N87zIzH
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inverkeithing-heritage-regeneration/id1531498334?uo=4
- Anchor.fm https://anchor.fm/emma-griffiths
- Breaker https://www.breaker.audio/inverkeithing-heritage-regeneration
- Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/nklkly3t
- RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/inverkeithing-heritage-regenerati-WdqdvL
Take on a jigsaw challenge
Take on a jigsaw challenge, and get to know some of Inverkeithing’s heritage a different way. There’s an inbuilt timer – you can get competitive with your jigsaw completing skills!
Inverkeithing Town House, 45 pieces, moderate https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=15910e3c1f90
Town House panel, easier, 36 pieces
https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=0c88e8168d7e
Inverkeithing’s Town House has well documented alterations that date to the mid-1700s, but wall thicknesses in parts of the tower suggest the origins of the building may date from the 14th or 15th centuries. Inverkeithing was granted it Royal Burgh status in 1160, so some form of building in which serious town affairs were debated, taxes and tithes were collected and justice law and order were maintained, must have existed for centuries. There were even cells in the building, right up until the 19th century – records exist of prison inspections, which report on the rather dubious jailor.
Providence House Inverkeithing, moderate, 49 pieces
https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=12b54a16264b
Can you beat someone else in the time it takes to complete the jigsaws?
The last jigsaw is of Providence House, with its carved lintel from 1688 – and the initials of patron who extended her house at that time: Isabella Bairdie.
Why not go for a walk to the centre of Inverkeithing, have a good look at the Town House, and read the full inscription at Providence House – now Ferrier and MacKinnon Optometrists in the High Street – when you’ve completed the jigsaws?
The Inverkeithing Burgh Survey, also called People Making History, is a series of linked activities and research carried out as part of the Inverkeithing Heritage Regeneration scheme. Led by Northlight Heritage, it will result in a published book with a comprehensive history of the fascinating town. It will also guide future development in Inverkeithing by highlighting areas of particular historical interest and significance.
The Burgh Survey has already allowed local people to learn new skills. Volunteers have taken part in standing building surveys to investigate, measure and record the historic Town House and the Friary Hospitium building. Volunteers have also participated in historic research sessions guided by historian Dr Thomas Turpie; and taken part in an archaeological dig at the Friary Gardens led by Dr Gavin MacGregor.
An oral history project has recorded local people’s memories of the major 20th century industries in Inverkeithing: Caldwell’s Paper Mill and Thomas Wards Shipbreakers. The interviews also reveal lots of local colour and interest and are available to view on our YouTube channel. Several local people attended training and are planning to use their skills to carry out more oral history recordings in the future.
Click on the links below to view the standing building survey reports for the Town House and the Friary, and the report of the archaeological dig at the Friary Gardens.
Town House Standing Building Survey report
To get regular project newsletters and updates straight to your inbox, subscribe to our mailing list by emailing
- Winter Newsletter 2023
- Spring Newsletter 2023
- Winter Newsletter 2023
- Autumn Newsletter 2022
- Summer Newsletter 2022
- Spring Newsletter 2022
- Winter Newsletter 2021
- Newsletter June 2021
- Newsletter December 2020
- Newsletter August 2020
- Newsletter December 2019
Projects
We manage projects to conserve historic buildings at risk, ensuring that they have a renewed practical purpose, long term caring owners and a viable future. To find out more about our past, present and future projects throughout Fife click below.
Holiday Lets
We have converted and now operate three holiday apartments in Fife: Kinghorn Town Hall, John McDouall Stuart View in Dysart, and Cupar Burgh Chambers. For more information and to book, click below or contact us
Find out about our latest news here.