County Buildings (West Section) St Catherine's Street, Cupar

County Buildings by Robert Hutchison, 1815-17 (probably following 1810 plan by James Gillespie Graham) with 9-bay addition by Thoms and Wilkie, 1924-25 (plans dated 1907), forming a broadly unified neoclassical terrace to the south side of St Catherine Street, Cupar.

Council chamber block (circa 1815) is symmetrical, two-storey and basement, nine-bay with channelled masonry to ground floor. Twin-engaged Roman-Doric columned doorway to centre with Diocletian window above and Roman-Doric pilasters and balcony. Outer bays advanced slightly with round-arched windows to ground floor. Projecting cornice and balustraded blocking course.

Former courtroom block (circa 1817) to the left is two-storey and basement, five-bay, plainly rendered with single door to outer-right bay and cill course to upper window level. Interior alterations by William Burn in 1836, including remodelling of former courtroom at 1st floor.

Addition to the far left (1925) is three-storey and basement, nine bay, with slightly advanced outer bays having round-arched windows to ground floor. There are tripartite windows above, in a similar style to the council chamber block.

All three sections have mainly plate glass glazing in timber sash and case windows. Grey slates. Coped ashlar stacks. Rainwater goods are cast iron.

The interior was seen in 2014. The county chambers and former courtroom at first floor level survive largely intact. The main council chamber has bowed ends with fluted Doric pilasters to ceiling height and a moulded cornice. There is a basket-arched minstrel's gallery with balcony to the south wall above the entrance double doors, flanked by fireplaces. Curved timber double doors at both ends of the room lead to a reception chamber room to the west and a former library to the east. The 1836 courtroom by William Burn has a segmentally-arched panelled plasterwork ceiling with central roundels and ribs terminating over full height Roman-Doric pilasters. Basement (former cells) have corbelled vaulted ceilings, stone fireplaces and studded timber doors. An engraved panel above the fireplace quotes Hamlet 'There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. To me it is a prison'. Other areas of the building have fittings of various dates including a boarded timber open-well staircase with decorative timber newels.

Four-storey office additions to the rear of the County Buildings, designed by John Needham in 1947 and erected between 1950 and 1955, and single storey brick addition, circa 1920 to the east, are not of special interest in listing terms.

In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: 4-storey offices and police station adjoining to rear and single storey block to east.