| County Buildings, Cupar | |
|---|---|
 County Buildings, Cupar | |
| Location | St Catherine Street,Cupar |
| Coordinates | 56°19′10″N3°00′36″W / 56.3194°N 3.0099°W /56.3194; -3.0099 |
| Built | 1817 |
| Architect | Robert Hutchison |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical style |
Listed Building – Category B | |
| Official name | County Buildings and former Court House, excluding 4-storey offices and police station adjoining to rear and single storey block to east, St Catherine Street, Cupar |
| Designated | 1 February 1972 |
| Reference no. | LB24160 |
  Shown in Fife | |
County Buildings is a municipal structure in St Catherine Street inCupar,Fife, Scotland. The building, which was the meeting place of Fife County Council, is a Category Blisted building.[1]
In the early 19th century, theprovost, John Ferguson, proposed that the oldtolbooth and an adjacent property, Balgarvie House, be demolished as part of an initiative to create a new street: the south side of the new street would contain various civic buildings including, at the west end, the newburgh chambers and, further to the east, the county buildings and the sheriff court.[1] The new county buildings was designed by Robert Hutchison in theneoclassical style, built inashlar stone with astucco finish and was completed in 1817.[1]
The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with nineteen bays facing onto St Catherine Street. The central section of nine bays featured, in the central bay, a doorway flanked by pairs ofDoric order columns supporting anentablature and a balcony: on the first floor there was a three-light window divided by Doric orderpilasters and surmounted by aDiocletian window. The outer bays of the central block, which slightly projected forward, featured round headed windows on the ground floor, three-light windows separated by Doric order pilasters on the first floor and smaller three-light windows on the second floor. The other bays in the central block as well as the bays in the outer blocks were fenestrated using a regular pattern ofsash windows. Internally, the principal rooms were the council chamber on the first floor of the central block and the county courtroom on the first floor of the east block.[1]
For much of the 19th century the complex had been used as the local facility for dispensing justice but, following the implementation of theLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1889, which established county councils in every county, it also became the offices ofFife County Council.[2] After the responsibilities of the county council increased, an additional nine-bay block was erected to the east of the existing complex: it was built to a design by Thoms and Wilkie ofDundee in a similar style but without the stucco finish and was completed in 1925.[1]
Following the abolition of the county council in 1975, the building became the offices and meeting place ofNorth East Fife District Council.[3][4] The building was briefly shared with Fife Regional Council until that council moved toFife House inGlenrothes later in 1975.[5][6] North-East Fife District Council was abolished in 1996, whenFife Council became theunitary authority for the area, with its headquarters atGlenrothes. Since then, the county buildings have been Fife Council's customer service centre for the local area.[7]
Works of art in the county buildings include a portrait byJohn Shackleton ofKing George II,[8] a portrait by an unknown artist ofKing George III[9] and a portrait byAllan Ramsay ofQueen Charlotte.[10] Paintings of other nobles include a portrait byHenry Raeburn ofJohn Hope, 4th Earl of Hopetoun,[11] a portrait byFrancis Grant ofJames Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin[12] and a portrait byDavid Wilkie ofThomas Erskine, 9th Earl of Kellie[13] as well as a portrait bySir William Llewellyn ofSir Ralph William Anstruther, 6th Baronet.[14]
...at the last meeting of Fife Regional Council to take place in County Hall, Cupar, before they move to Fife House, Glenrothes...