Kirkcaldy’s Art Deco buildings celebrated in new book marking centenary of a timeless style

Examples include the town’s fire station and Fife Ice Arena, both opened in 1938, and the Town House where work started a year earlier but wasn’t completed until the mid 1950s.

‘Art Deco Scotland: Design and Architecture in the Jazz Age’ has been published by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) and celebrates a design style that was infused with glamour and energy, and emerged from the smart metropolises of Paris and New York in the 1920s, its impact quickly spread beyond these cities

Written by Bruce Peter, Professor of Design History at Glasgow School of Art's School of Design, the book explores the style’s legacy across Scotland, and features over 150 photographs and illustrations from the collection of HES.

Its publicly is also timely - this year marks the centenary of the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, the international exhibition that inspired and gave a name to the Art Deco style.

In the inter-war era, Art Deco spread widely across Scotland as architects and designers incorporated its sleek and forward-looking elegance – symbolising aspiration and sophistication – into fashionable villas and luxury ocean liners, everyday objects, and spaces such as shops, lidos, cafes and cinemas.

Mr Peter said: “Scotland had, and still has, a remarkable variety of Art Deco buildings. They add character to city streets and local communities from Peterhead to Stranraer, Inverness to Kelso. Scotland also excelled in the making of Art Deco furniture and textiles, while Clyde-built passenger liners included the world’s biggest, fastest and most glamorous examples.”

The ice rink is one of the most prominent buildings to feature its original Art Deco designs which were created by architects Williamson & Hubbard.

It cost some £37,000 to build, while the fire station on Dunnikier Road came in at £15,000. It was a significant development for the town and effectively, its first ‘proper’ fire station as the previous facilities in Cowan Street were not fit for purpose. The station is still in use to this day and retains many of its striking external features.

Neil Gregory, head of outreach at HES, said: “It has been a fantastic journey working with Bruce Peter on this book and I’m thrilled to see it hitting bookstore shelves. ‘Art Deco Scotland’ brings together history, design and a great collection of archive imagery, all whilst shining a spotlight on a fascinating part of Scotland’s 20th century heritage.”

‘Art Deco Scotland: Design and Architecture in the Jazz Age’ is available to purchase on Stor.scot and in all good bookshops, priced £30