Balmuto Tower

Balmuto Tower is a Grade B listed building consisting of a 15th century tower with 16th, 17th and 18th century additions, reconstructed between 1974 and 1984 by the Appleton Partnership. It forms an irregular U-plan house with the tower positioned to the north and enclosing walls. The building is constructed of dry-dashed coursed rubble with stone and concrete dressings dating from the 1974-84 reconstruction. The tower displays a cavetto cornice with corbel table and a later crenellated parapet, with pointed- and segmental-headed openings throughout, pedimented windows, crowsteps, and roll-moulded margins to the west. The ground floor is vaulted.

The tower itself comprises three stages with a modern caphouse, engaged to the west. The south elevation features a window at the first stage, a pedimented window above bearing a panel inscribed "Fear God, honour the King", and a pointed-arch former door in a bay to the right, with a further pedimented window at the third stage. The crowstepped caphouse is set back behind the crenellated parapet. The east elevation has a door at ground level and a later door dated 1797 at the first floor with a small balcony, a blocked opening at the centre above, and a small window to the outer right at the third stage. The north elevation features finialled and pedimented windows at the second and third stages, with the second stage window inscribed "DB" and dated "1680", and the third stage window displaying monogrammed initials "DB" and "MP".

The east (entrance) elevation displays a crowstepped gable to the left with a window at first floor and a tall stack breaking the eaves to the outer right. A return to the left contains two windows at ground level and a further window at approximate centre first floor. A small rounded conical-roofed roll-moulded doorway is positioned in the re-entrant angle, with a three-storey recessed face to the right featuring three small stair windows and a slightly larger window at the second floor's outer left. The tower projects to the right.

The south (garden) elevation is a five-bay elevation with windows on each floor of a three-storey narrow crowstepped gable to the outer left. Two-storey bays to the right contain four windows on each floor, with those at ground level being irregular in arrangement.

The west elevation is a three-storey elevation facing the walled garden, with the ground floor largely obscured by a large modern conservatory behind a garden wall. There are five windows on each floor above, with the penultimate bay to the right on the second floor featuring a corbelled window.

Throughout the building, small-pane glazing patterns are used in timber sash and case windows and fixed windows. The roof is covered in grey slates, with coped dry-dashed stacks and ashlar-coped skews.

The interior contains a vaulted ground floor hall with a large segmental fireplace at the west wall. The first floor hall features a huge roll-moulded fireplace at the north wall's east end, a coombed wooden ceiling, and a west screens gallery added during the 1974-84 reconstruction.

The boundary, garden and terrace walls, and gatepiers are integral to the listing. The garden walls are coped rubble with mid-19th century medallions bearing high relief portraits. Boundary walls include a small crowstepped gatehouse, and a buttressed terrace wall runs along the south. Square section ashlar gatepiers are topped with oversized pineapple finials.

Historically, the tower was known as Balmuto House. The Boswell family acquired the Barony of Balmuto toward the end of the 14th century when Sir John Boswell married Mariota, daughter of Sir John Glen of Glenniston. The north window pediments commemorate David Boswell and his wife Margaret Paterson of Dunmuir. Much of the 17th century work was likely undertaken at this time, when the first and second stage windows were enlarged and pedimented, and the two upper floors received timbered ceilings supported on corbels. The first stage entrance, which had been widened in the 16th century, was blocked in the 17th century. The house was occupied until 1896 when the heir, Claud Patrick, and his sister Ella moved to a house on the Home Farm. In 1951 Ella sold Balmuto to Lord Montrose, whose stepson demolished some parts including a 16th century wing where Mary Queen of Scots celebrated mass with Sir David Boswell. The building was acquired in a roofless state and restored by Harry Arthur Boswell of Baltimore, USA, partly for educational purposes, with the present building dating from 1999. Rebecca Boswell was married at Kinghorn Parish Church in August 1976, with the reception held at Balmuto. The tower is notable as the place where Sir Alexander Boswell, baronet of Auchinleck, died on 27th March 1811 from a wound received the previous day during a duel near Auchtertool with James Stuart of Dunearn, Burntisland.