The Study

The Study, Culross
©2022 Gazetteer for Scotland

The Study, Culross

A picturesque tall white-harled house on the north side of the junction between Back Causeway and The Cross in Culross (W FIfe), The Study dates from c.1610. This is said to be where Bishop Leighton of Dunblane (1611-84), who lived nearby in Bishop Leighton's House, composed his sermons. Built as a merchant's house, next to Culross Palace one of the finest in Culross, the building was acquired by the National Trust for Scotland in the 1930s. It was renovated by Ian G. Lindsay and Partners in 1959, winning a Civic Trust Award in 1962. The Study is now A-listed and is open to the public for guided tours.

The building is L-plan and comprises a three-storey main block, with a tower facing the street which rises higher. This contains a turnpike stair, with the upper stage corbelled out and containing the actual study. The orange pantiled roofs feature crow-stepped gables and catslide dormers. The windows to the front feature lattice leadwork and wooden shutters below, allowing the windows to open. Inside there are original fireplaces and timber panelling, while the beamed ceiling of the first-floor room is a reconstruction of the 1960s, brightly painted with fruit and flowers in homage to its 17th century forerunner.


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