A late-eighteenth-century house brings balanced sash-windowed frontage and careful stone dressings to an irregular terrace on West Brae.
Quick facts
- Date
- Late eighteenth century
- Architect / designer
- Designer and builders not recorded
- Type
- Two-storey three-bay terraced house
- Designation
- Listed building, Category C (LB46044)
- OS grid reference
- NT 33904 96775
Architecture and continuing use
The two-storey, three-bay front is dry-dashed but retains ashlar margins and long-and-short quoins. A central modern door and regular window spacing establish symmetry. At the northeast end, a polygonal bay rises through both floors beneath a small helm roof, adding an unusually shaped termination to the terrace.
Its story
The house was built in the late eighteenth century as part of East Wemyss’s pre-mining domestic fabric. Later renewal introduced a modern door, roof covering and other changes without erasing the main three-bay composition or distinctive end bay. It entered the statutory list in 1999.
Why it is included
Together with neighbouring 24 West Brae, it demonstrates an older domestic scale and street pattern that preceded the village’s major industrial expansion.
What to notice
- The long-and-short quoins at the corners.
- The two-storey polygonal bay and its helm roof.
- Regular upper windows within an otherwise irregular terrace.
Reading the surroundings
This is a private home. Observe from the public street without photographing occupants, looking through windows or entering steps, gardens or adjoining property.
Timeline
- Late 18th century The three-bay house was established on West Brae.
- 20th century Door and roof alterations updated the dwelling while retaining its principal form.
- 1999 Its surviving architectural character was recognised by Category C listing.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
No architect, exact construction year or reliable interior history was found. Current residential status is inferred from the building type and address, not from investigation of its occupants.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: 22 West Brae, LB46044 — Current designation status, statutory identity, official mapped point, date, fabric and significance.
- Trove: 22 West Brae — National collection entry corroborating designation identity, mapped position and related archive material.
- British Listed Buildings: 22 West Brae — Accessible transcription and mapping aid for the listed house, used alongside the authoritative HES entry.
- National Library of Scotland: georeferenced historic maps — Historic-map comparison for the shoreline, streets, buildings and changing settlement; individual map dates and layers should be checked.
Location
OS grid reference NT 33904 96775 · Location confidence: High for the current HES designation point; public text separately qualifies component extent, access and any present-use uncertainty. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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