Bessie Bar Hall, Main Street, Culross, Culross, Fife

Entry Name: Bessie Bar Hall, Main Street, Culross

Listing Name: Culross, Bessie Bar's Hall

Listing Date: 12 January 1972

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 359817

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB23973

Building Class: Cultural

Also known as: Culross, Main Street, Bessie Bar Hall

ID on this website: 200359817

Location: Culross

County: Fife

Town: Culross

Electoral Ward: West Fife and Coastal Villages

Traditional County: Fife

Tagged with: Architectural structure

Description

Dated 1776. 3-storey, rectangular-plan former malthouse. Yellow coloured harl. Block ashlar surrounds to windows and doors. Gable faces on to street.

S ELEVATION: forestair from left. Stone steps; replacement timber handrail. 1st floor door to right; '1776' in lintel. Central 2nd floor hoist door/window. Central ventilation hole above; pointed arch; timber louvres.

E ELEVATION: forestair set back to far left; stone surrounds to small opening at base. Wide door to left of main elevation; gas lamp above right. 2 ground and 2 1st floor windows to right. Wide door to far right; gas lamp above left. Chamfered quoin to right gable. Section set back to far right built into bank; door to left. Stone steps to E lead into Palace garden and to rear of Bessie Bar's Hall.

N ELEVATION: wide central door leads into 1st floor above Bessie Bar's Hall.

W ELEVATION: plain elevation. Garden wall extends from left gable.

Replacement 9-pane timber casement windows, splayed internal cills. Wide timber studded doors. 2-leaf timber 1st floor door to S elevation. Pitched roof; clay pantiles. Raised roof level to N section.

INTERIOR: converted into tea room at ground floor; kitchens and lavatory to N; function room and gardener's workshop at 1st floor; storage at 2nd floor. Modern internal staircase to 1st and 2nd floors to S. Large fireplace retained in ground floor, S gable; small recess possibly for draught (now blocked) to left of fireplace in E elevation. Small blocked window in W elevation opposite cafe entrance door.

Statement of Interest

Bessie Bar is thought to have been Sir George Bruce's niece (NTS) and this was her malthouse. The nearby Bessie Bar Well was also named after her (see separate listing). According to Beveridge, Bessie's married name was Mrs Paterson and she had an extensive trade in malting. A tall rubble wall extends from the NW quoin to bound adjacent wynd (see separate listing). For brief history of Culross Burgh see Culross, The Cross, The Study.

External Links

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