Farmsteading, Cameron

Cameron steading (1830-40 possibly incorporating earlier fabric) is a rectangular farm office range with central cattle court. The principal (north) elevation is two-storey with a segmental-arch pend accessing the inner court, and three segmentally arched cartsheds (concealed by later metal doors), five loft windows above. There is a loft door and two windows at the ramped west end. The inner elevation of the north range has four doors, three windows and three blocked windows. The north range has a piended slated roof and an ashlar stack. The west range retains evidence of an early mechanical threshing machine, and to the southwest has remains of timber animal stalls. The east range of the quadrangle has a roofless and partly missing section towards to north end. There is a cattle shed of rubble construction within the courtyard, having a later metal roof covering. A small detached former byre to the east of the courtyard steading is currently roofless (2022) having previously had a piended roof with pantile covering.

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, steading and cottages 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).