1 Coxstool, West Wemyss

A substantial complex of converted miners' welfare and residential buildings, now hotel accommodation, dating primarily from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Belvedere (The Principal Building)

Dated 1927, this 2-storey T-plan former Miners Welfare Institute was converted to hotel use in 1986. It features a Doric-columned loggia (now infilled), shaped gables and a diminutive belvedere. The building is harled with stone margins, string courses and eaves courses.

The west (principal) elevation has steps up to a door at the left of an infilled 3-bay loggia with windows to the remaining bays. Six smaller regularly disposed windows light the first floor, with a glazed, ball-finalled belvedere over the left bay. A slightly advanced shaped gable to the outer left features a similar Doric-columned loggia (infilled with a broad fixed window to ground and two irregular windows to the first floor), with a gablehead above forming a semicircular pediment. A screen wall to the outer left has later openings.

The east (entrance) elevation comprises a lower advanced arm to the centre with three windows of broad canted bay under a bellcast roof. A flat-roofed dormer window facing north appears on the return to the right, with a further window on the return to the left. A semicircular Doric-columned loggia with cornice, frieze and dated stone is positioned at the centre in a re-entrant angle to the right, below two windows to the first floor of a recessed bay. A later flat-roofed bay with three small windows fills the re-entrant angle to the left.

The south elevation displays a broad canted bay to the right with three windows to each floor below a piended roof with curved outer angles; a recessed bay to the left contains a door to ground level.

The north elevation shows a single-storey projecting bay with a hotel sign in moulded open-pediment detail and a dominant stack at centre, with windows to flanking canted angles under bellcast roof. A bridge leads to a door in a recessed bay to the right under a catslide roof.

Windows throughout feature 12- and 16-pane glazing patterns in timber sash and case designs (except to later windows). The roof is laid with red pantiles. Stacks are coped and harled with cans; skews are ashlar-coped with block skewputts, and downpipes are cast iron with decorative rainwater hoppers.

The interior has been modernised.

Coxstool: Numbers 5 and 6

By Alexander Tod, late 19th century. A 2- and 3-storey castellated former coffee house and reading room with round corner turrets and a first floor balcony. The building features deep base and string courses.

The south (principal) elevation is symmetrical, with four windows to the centre at ground level and part-glazed timber doors in flanking turrets. A corbelled balcony to the first floor contains a central window, doors in flanking bays and further windows to outer turrets. Two windows to the centre above break the eaves to a crenellated pyramidal roof, with further windows to outer turrets.

The east elevation shows a rounded corner with a window to the ground floor and a bipartite window above breaking the eaves to a crenellated, piended roof.

The north elevation is asymmetrical with a variety of elements, including a dominant shouldered stack breaking the eaves at centre into a pyramidal roof, and a round corner turret to the outer left.

Coxstool: Numbers 7-11

Rebuilt late 19th century. Two plain 2-storey tenements with a small, recessed, single-storey link between Nos 7 and 8.

The south (principal) elevation has No 7 to the right of centre with a broad tripartite window to ground and two windows at first floor. Nos 8-11 to the left feature four windows to each floor, with the link section containing a door to the left and window to the right.

Coxstool: Numbers 1 and 2

Rebuilt and altered late 19th century. A pair of single-storey, 2-bay cottages on ground falling to the south.

General Construction Details

Windows throughout the Coxstool buildings feature 12-pane glazing patterns in timber sash and case designs. Nos 5-7 are roofed with grey slates; Nos 8-11 and 1-2 have modern pantiles, the latter also with slate eaves easing courses. Stacks are coped and harled with cans; some have ashlar-coped skews and moulded skewputts to Nos 8-11.

Ancillary Buildings and Boundary Elements

Single and 2-storey piend-roofed ancillary buildings in rubble and harl adjoin infilled brick arches of former pit-pony stables.

Low saddleback-coped and harled rubble and balustraded boundary walls surround The Belvedere. Low coped, harled and rubble boundary walls with squat coped gatepiers define Nos 5 and 6. Low random rubble boundary walls enclose Nos 7-11.