Crail Parish Church, Marketgate, Crail

Crail Parish Church, originally built in the Romanesque style around 1160, has remnants of the chancel, including the north wall and a southwest fragment from that time. The west tower, dating to around 1200, was initially free-standing but was designed to be part of the plan for a rebuilt nave. The nave was rebuilt around 1120 and features six bays with aisles and a clerestory, supported by circular piers, and a new chancel arch was created at the same time. A belfry stage, corbelled parapet, and squat stone spire were added to the tower around 1500 or later. The north side wall was rebuilt in the 18th century. The nave was reconstructed by Robert Balfour in 1815, which included a new south aisle wall with splayed Gothic windows and wooden tracery. The north wall was also re-windowed in the same style, and there is a continuous roof over the nave and aisles. The choir was shortened and largely rebuilt, with a gallery added by William Lees of Pittenweem in 1828. The church is built of ashlar with slated roofs. Balfour and Lees' furnishings have recently been removed, and the interior has been recast.