Tower Villa, 15 Wemyssfield, Kirkcaldy

Tower Villa, 15 Wemyssfield, Kirkcaldy

This is a substantial Italianate villa dated 1866, which was converted to offices in 1919 and extended significantly in 1923. A further extension linking to St Margaret's, East Fergus Place (listed separately) was added in 1938.

The main building is a 2-storey, 3-bay structure with a distinctive piend and platform roof and a prominent tower. A 2-storey, 7-bay wing extends to the west.

The principal (east) elevation is the most architecturally refined face. The centrepiece consists of three steps flanked by fielded piers, with the left pier retaining an urn finial carved with a masque and foliate detail. This leads to a round-headed doorcase with part-fluted engaged colonnettes bearing foliate capitals, decorative moulding, a keystone and carved spandrels. The door itself is a 2-leaf panelled timber piece with a semi-circular plate glass fanlight. Flanking pilasters with carved consoles support a small stone balustrade at the foot of the architraved and pedimented first-floor window above. The tower rises through the eaves, displaying a keystoned, tripartite, colonnaded window, with further round-headed, keystoned windows to the north and south faces. A decorative cast-iron weathervane crowns the tower. Slightly advanced full-height flanking bays flank the composition: the right bay contains canted tripartite windows, while the left has bipartite windows.

The main building is constructed in polished ashlar with channelled quoin strips, backed by squared and snecked dressed rubble to the rear. The base features moulded string courses, an eaves cornice with blocking course, and a cill course. The tower displays a mutuled cavetto cornice. Round-headed openings predominate, with pedimented windows and architraved surrounds enriched by dogtooth mouldings to the ground floor. Window heads feature stop-chamfered arrises and stone mullions. Plate glass glazing sits within timber sash-and-case windows; the stair window contains coloured and margined glass. The roofs are covered in grey slates. Chimneystack detailing is particularly fine: corbelled and banded ashlar stacks with a full complement of decorative polygonal cans. Cast-iron downpipes with dated hoppers and decorative fixings run throughout.

The north elevation has windows in bays to the centre and right at ground level, with further windows to the outer bays at first floor. A shouldered wallhead stack breaks the eaves to the centre.

The west elevation features a round-headed stair window with a datestone at first-floor level, a 2-storey link section to the 1923 wing adjoining to the right, and a bipartite dormer window in the mansard above.

The south elevation follows a similar logic with a centre bay containing windows at both storeys, flanked by a shouldered wallhead stack breaking the eaves, and a further ground-floor window to the outer left.

The interior preserves considerable historic fabric despite its conversion to offices. The vestibule floor is laid in encaustic tiles with inlaid initials 'FEA' (Fife Education Authority). Modernised offices retain decorative cornicing and panelled shutters, and a marble fireplace adorns the first-floor office. The principal staircase is a dog-leg design with decorative cast-iron balusters, timber handrail and a stair window featuring coloured decorative margins and 'The Abbey' detail (see Notes). A pilastered round arch with pendant finial and segmental arches with moulded spandrels embellish the first-floor landing. A spiral stair with decorative cast-iron balusters and timber handrail rises through the tower.

The western wing, added in 1938, is a piend-roofed extension constructed in harling with channelled ashlar quoin strips. Base, cill and eaves courses provide visual articulation. Openings are segmental- and round-headed in character.

The wing's east (entrance) elevation features a segmental-headed doorcase with broad channelled pilasters, a consoled cornice and a deep-set 2-leaf panelled timber door beneath a sunburst-astragalled fanlight, positioned centrally at ground level. Flanking bays contain bipartite windows, with regular fenestration above at first floor. The link with Tower Villa projects to the left.

The north elevation displays five tall, round-headed, decorative-astragalled windows in the central bays. Slightly advanced flanking stair towers flank this composition: the left tower features a tall round-headed window, while the right carries a canopied doorway with a timber door and flanking narrow lights at ground level, with windows above.

The south elevation exhibits symmetrical fenestration including an advanced bay to the outer left, which also abuts the rear of St Margaret's.

The west elevation is similarly symmetrical, incorporating a corniced doorway with a modern door to the left and advanced bays to the right adjoining St Margaret's.

The wing employs small-pane glazing patterns in metal casement windows. Roofs are covered in grey slates, and chimneystack detailing echoes the main building with channelled ashlar stacks topped by cans.

The wing's interior contains original panelled timber doors with etched glass panels and tiled toilet cubicles. Decorative steel balusters and brass handrails are evident throughout, complemented by plain cornices and picture rails. The main space comprises a large open-plan office (formerly a board room) to the north, featuring a decorative-framed rooflight, round-headed windows and arches, and a mutuled and dogtooth-moulded cornice. Fielded pilasters and pedimented doorcases with 2-leaf timber doors and decorative etched-glass panels enliven this space. A rest room to the south retains its panelled dado.

The boundary treatment consists of saddleback-coped ashlar boundary walls with pyramidal-coped ashlar piers (now reduced) to the east, and coped rubble boundary walls to the north and south.