Whytehouse Mansions, 9 Whytescauseway, Kirkcaldy

Whytehouse Mansions, 9 Whytescauseway, Kirkcaldy

A three-storey and attic Baronial tenement with shops at ground level, designed by Robert Little and constructed between 1895 and 1898 (dated 1898). The building occupies a corner site on ground falling to the south. It is constructed of squared and snecked rubble with ashlar quoins and dressings, with rustication to the south-east. The design features a ground floor cornice, mutuled dividing course and eaves cornice, corbels, crowstepped gables and windowheads, segmental-headed openings with voussoirs, hoodmoulds with label-stops, keystones, stop-chamfered arrises and stone mullions. Small blind oculi are positioned between first floor windows except at the centre.

The south elevation facing High Street comprises 14 symmetrical bays grouped 6-2-6, with 3 further bays adjoining the corner tower to the outer right. A lower block to the left contains a central shop door with flanking display windows to the ground floor of slightly advanced centre bays. The first floor features two bipartite windows flanking a stepped corbel table to the second floor, arched over each bipartite window, with a small window in the gablehead and a corbelled stack above. Ball-finalled, corbelled and moulded square dies finish the outer skews. The bays to the right of centre feature a mutuled cornice and block pediment to the moulded surround of a pend entrance in the penultimate bay to the left, with modern shops beyond. The first floor displays bipartite windows flanking a stepped corbel at the centre, with further windows and bipartite windows to the flanking bays. The second floor has regular fenestration, bipartite to the right of centre with continuation of stepped corbelling, all bipartites with windowheads breaking into crowstepped gablets with moulding in the gablehead and stacks piercing the left side of the gablet to the left of centre. The bays to the left of centre mirror those to the right. Three bays adjoining the corner tower to the right feature modern shops and display windows at ground level, both corniced and bracketed. Bipartite windows appear to the left of centre and two windows to the right on each floor above, with corbelled outer bays to the attic. A stepped corbel to the first floor between centre and right bays extends to the second floor to incorporate the centre window, with a further corbel to the outer right extending to the stack at attic level. The attic features a moulded tablet between centre and right bays with a broad stack above piercing the gable, and a gablet to the left with a tiny corbelled turret containing a gunloop to the outer left.

The south-east corner tower features a large display window (formerly a door) to the ground floor with a deep fascia above. The first and second floors are flanked by corbelled rusticated pilasters. A tripartite window to the first floor is accompanied by a band inscribed 'WHYTEHOUSE MANSIONS' and carved monograms 'W, E? and C?' at the head of the flanking pilasters. The second floor also has a tripartite window with a raised centre light and keystoned elliptical-arched moulding springing from the pilasters, with a corbel table above adjoining the cornice. A further tripartite window at the attic level features a datestone below a stepped hoodmould and label-stops, a narrow light in a ball-finalled gablehead and tiny flanking corbelled turrets with gunloops.

The east elevation facing Whytecauseway comprises 9 bays grouped 6-3, adjoining the corner tower to the left. The ground floor of a lower block to the right includes a pend entrance to the left of centre, with shops beyond to the left and two further shops to the right and a carriage entrance to the outer right. The first and second floors feature a bipartite window to the centre, two windows to the right and a further bipartite to the outer right, with a window and bipartite window to the left. Three bays adjoining the corner tower contain two shops at ground level, a bipartite window to the right and three windows to the left on each floor above. Corbelling, windowheads and decorative details are similar to the south elevation.

The north and west elevations display a variety of elements including cantilevered walkways with round-headed openings to piended stairtowers, cast-iron bracketed canopies and railings.

The windows throughout employ small pane and plate glass glazing patterns in timber sash and case frames on the south first floor, second floor bays 3-8 and 10-17, and third floor; south-west first and second floors; and east first and second floors bays 1-6. The roof is finished with grey slates. Coped ashlar skews, beak and scroll skewputts and ashlar-coped stacks with cans complete the exterior. Cast-iron downpipes with decorative rainwater hoppers provide the drainage.