Call for greater protection of Kirkcaldy's heritage after devastating Viewforth school fire

A new call has been made to the community to demand more protection for Kirkcaldy’s historic buildings in the wake of a devastating fire at the former Viewforth High School.

It comes from Kirkcaldy Civic Society which urged people to speak up as loudly as possible after the latest blaze in Loughborough Road caused extensive damage.

The group said there was widespread anger at this latest blaze at Viewforth – the fourth in the four years since pupils moved to the new campus at Windmill, and the third this year.

The Civic Society was critical of Fife Council’s efforts to protect the empty buildings, and its refusal to allow it to access to catalogue its historic features.Rosemary Potter, secretary of the group set up to preserve the Lang Toun’s rich heritage, said the reports of fires this year raised “puzzling questions.”

She said Fife Council was responsible for both C-listed Viewforth and the B-listed Eastbank House – former mansion house of Henry Hutchison and latterly the school’s annexe which was badly damaged in a 2017 blaze and remains a charred shell.

Rosemary sad: “The Fife Free Press has reported four wilful fires on the site in four years, two this year, in the vacated buildings.

“This seems puzzling and perturbing if Fife Council was fully meeting its responsibilities to maintain and secure them.

“It has stated there were security measures on doors and windows.

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“Yet a video uploaded on You Tube at the end of February 2020 contains a 40 minute recorded tour throughout the entire old school building and Eastbank House by unauthorised young adults entering through unlocked doors and around Herries fencing unchallenged. Where are the security measures?”

The society said it had “long questioned” the council’s stewardship of this part of Kirkcaldy’s heritage.

It added: “After the school moved to its new premises on the Windmill campus, we were told that Fife Council was monitoring the condition of the remaining buildings including Eastbank House.

“Monitoring was a somewhat unsatisfactory response to the question as to whether Eastbank House was being maintained in reasonable condition or as wind and watertight.

“However, it was perhaps not a surprising statement as, in 2002, Fife Council’s building services had reported to the school board that a new roof was required and work to windows, at a cost of £200,000, to make the building wind and watertight.

“No new roof was forthcoming as was evidenced by the rector having to close the annexe by the end of 2008 because of a sagging ceiling in one of the classrooms. Access to the floors above had been partitioned off and left without further maintenance.”

The civic society said a request to get into Eastbank House, after the Windmill campus opened, to record the fine features of plaster cornices and ceilings, the sweeping oak staircase and the stained glass windows by Oscar Paterson, a mentor of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, was refused by the council.

Added Rosemary: “We were refused access on the grounds nothing had changed.

“Some of these features, including the drawing of a sailing ship on the wall beside an upstairs window looking out to sea, were lost unrecorded in the subsequent fire.”

She added that the society’s concerns over the care and future of the site’s listed building “have been shared by others in the community, including some councillors.”

She added: “There is patently deep affection amongst the community for a place of past memories and companionship for so many local people.

“Yet amongst the public comments on Facebook in summer 2017 after the school closed were these, expressing both their affection but also their mistrust of the authorities’ future care of the building.

“There is little more that can be destroyed in the old C-listed building but, as can be seen in the video, there is still much of significance to be saved in the old Eastbank House.

“ Can the community together with Kirkcaldy Civic Society and speak with a loud enough voice to our elected representatives in Fife Council and the officials who should enact their decisions and carry out their responsibilities, to ensure that Eastbank House is properly protected and secured from further damage, and a speedy resolution made to seek its restoration?

“That would salvage something of heritage and hope from this fiasco of fire.”

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Fife Council confirmed this week that the former school had been the subject of a number of attempts to gain access – but the site was checked weekly and any issues dealt with quickly.

Michael O’Gorman, service manager said: “Unfortunately the building was subject to various attempted and actual security breaches in January and February.

“There are weekly checks of the site and any security breaches are reported and dealt with as quickly as possible.

“In response to the break-ins at the start of the year further security measures were put in place, including additional security fencing and windows and doors were boarded with metal sheeting.

“Anti vandal poly-carbonate sheeting has been applied to the prominent windows to minimise adverse impact on the amenity of the neighbourhood.

“Movement activated CCTV system was also introduced in an attempt to stop illegal entry.”

In regard to Eastbank House, he said the building wasn’t safe enough to allow any internal inspection to take place by the civic society.

Mr O’Gorman added: “Eastbank House has security fencing clearly marked with ‘keep out’ signs.“There was forced entry to this building in late January and further security measures were put in place as soon as this was identified.“The building is considered unsafe for internal inspection, and we’ve informed the Civic Society of this following their request to record historic features.“Discussions are ongoing with the insurance company in respect of the claim.”

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