Western Cottage, Farm Cottage, Cameron

Cameron Farm Cottages (1830-40) are two adjoining, single storey workers' cottages of rubble construction with droved ashlar dressings and simple, unadorned interiors. They are located to the northwest of Cameron Steading (LB8262). Each cottage has one door opening flanked by two windows (unglazed, 2022) to the principal south elevation. There are straight ashlar skews to the gables. The roof has a red pantile covering and four (two gable and two ridge) brick chimney stacks. The rear elevation is largely blind (with no doors and only one window) and has no later extensions of additions.

Historical development

Cameron Farm in central Fife has been an agricultural settlement dating from at least the early 17th century. The Second Statistical Account of Scotland (1845) notes that the name of Cameron Parish was most likely taken from the farm which was owned by Andrew Law of St Andrews in 1640. The 1845 account also states the farmhouse and steading at Cameron were erected, and the farmland much improved, within the last fourteen years. This indicates a likely construction date of around 1832.

The 19th century was a period of significant improvement in farming practices across Scotland as subsistence farming gave way to the creation of larger, commercial farming practices. This change, known as the Agricultural Improvement period, saw innovations in land use and drainage, introduction of new crops and crop rotation, improved understanding of animal husbandry and increased length of farm tenancies.

The 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1853 shows Cameron farmhouse (LB143), steading (LB2682) and farm cottages (LB2683) occupying the same locations as they do presently. The farm buildings at Cameron are described in the 1853 Ordnance Survey Name Book as 'a large farmhouse two stories high with offices and threshing machine and a farm of about 365 acres of arable land, tenanted by Henry Miller and the property of the East Anstruther Sea Box Society'. The farm has remained in agricultural use since then. The farmhouse has not been tenanted for several years (2022).