Kitty’s fire: a nightclub with a real buzz in a historic landmark building

Among the 100 or more people standing behind the police cordons, there was a sense of real sadness at the sight of Kitty’s nightclub burning down. They stood on the steps of the court house, watching across the Town Square, and thronged round the front of the bus stop just yards from the heat and smoke as a landmark building was brought to its knees.

For a generation of folk, it was the place to go for a great night out - a club that bounced into the wee sma’ hours to great bands and the peerless Jimmy D on the decks. It had its own great lock-ins too!

At the height of its popularity, the queues to get in snaked all the way back to Wemyssfield where, today, a police car blocked access to the road as more and more fire crews raced to the scene. For many, Kitty’s was more than just another club in a provincial town. It had its own buzz, from student nights to charity events, it was the go to place for all ages. You knew the guys on the door, the bosses and the staff behind the bars, and you saw familiar faces on the dance floor.

The building also had its own ghost - no surprise given its history. Staff spoke of seeing an elderly man appear in photos, and of hearing him whistling as they put out chairs and tables when the club was closed. Maybe he was one of the postal workers who were based there for generations?

Much of that history was preserved in its imposing stone walls - hopefully they will survive the ravages of the heat, water and flames.

Granted Category B listed status, it was built with stone from Grange Quarry, Burntisland - indeed, the Post Office was the first government building in Scotland to receive a royal cipher 'ER VII'. The sculpture which could be seen on its exterior was by Mr Murdoch of Kirkcaldy.

The ornate work was part of the fabric of the two story-building described as a Jacobean-Baronial Post Office with an angle tower on its prominent corner site. Sadly that turret was destroyed as flames shot through the roof. A part of Kirkcaldy’s history and landscape has been lost forever.