Major repairs planned for historic building part of Kirkcaldy’s industrial heritage for centuries

Carr’s Flour Limited wants to carry out alterations to the mill, including replacing the roof, at its headquarters on East Bridge Street at the foot of the Path, just yards from its main operation in the harbour.

The distinctive white roundhouse building was badly damaged by floods in 2020 and was subsequently condemned. The company secured listed building consent from Fife Council to carry out the work in 2021, which has since expired. Its new application will go before councillors in the coming months.

In a supporting statement, submitted as part of the application, Carr’s said emergency work had been carried out to secure the property, and all subsequent repairs “will re-establish the listed property.”

East Bridge Flour Mills site has been a staple of industrial Kirkcaldy since the 16th century. Once a successful distillery lasting over six decades, the buildings closest to the riverbank were transformed into a flour mill in 1848. The roundhouse can be identified on-site as early as 1824 and the present Georgian house was built in 1793 by the then distillery owners Spiers. The flour mill has had subsequent additions including the Victorian era flour mills to the rear of the site and a bridge extension to the Georgian house in 1879 featuring a notable clock face over the extension and loading bay.

In 2012 Carr’s Flour Mill completed a new state-of-the-art mill on the adjacent harbour site - the first mill to be built in Scotland in over 30 years and is now one of only three remaining working mills north of the border. The white rendered roundhouse and adjoining buildings are currently unused and sit derelict on the property.

The supporting statement said: “Due to heavy rainfall and flooding the removal of the roundhouse roof was undertaken in order to make the structure safe, and to repair/make safe the gas supply to the main Georgian house which is currently used as the head office of Carr’s Flour Mill.

“Before the removal of the roof, the engineer’s inspection noted the poor condition, making a note of missing slates which have allowed water into the building and onto rafters which have rotted away. The engineer’s recommendation was for the immediate removal of the roof as the building would be class dangerous.

“The proposals seek to remove and replace the dilapidated roof, remove the asbestos clad tanks, and restore the Round House.”

Councillors will consider the application in due course.