A substantial Georgian manse retains Venetian windows, a formal doorpiece and a quieter domestic counterpart to the adjoining church.
Quick facts
- Date
- 1791; later converted to two flats
- Architect / designer
- Designer and builders not recorded
- Type
- L-plan Georgian former manse with walls and gatepier
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB16705)
- OS grid reference
- NT 33989 96803
Architecture and continuing use
The harled two-storey-and-attic house is arranged on an L-plan. Stone margins, quoins, base and eaves courses sharpen its elevations. A corniced doorpiece centres the principal front, with Venetian windows above and small dormers at roof level. A rear forestair, chimneys, rubble walls and a single gatepier complete the group.
Its story
The house was built in 1791 as the parish manse. Its formal rooms and balanced elevations expressed the minister’s position beside the church. Later subdivision created two flats, while the external Georgian composition and boundary work remained legible enough for Category B listing.
Why it is included
It shows how ecclesiastical provision extended beyond worship into domestic architecture and gives Main Street an important late-eighteenth-century landmark.
What to notice
- Venetian windows on the principal elevation.
- The corniced central doorway and stone margins.
- The contrast between formal front and practical rear forestair.
Reading the surroundings
Both addresses are private homes. View only from public space, protect residents’ privacy and do not enter the garden, stair or driveway.
Timeline
- 1791 A new manse was constructed beside the parish church.
- 19th century The residence continued to anchor the ministerial side of the church group.
- 20th century Internal adaptation divided the former manse into two flats.
- 1972 The building and its boundary features received Category B listing.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
HES records neither an architect nor a detailed conversion date, and the interior was not inspected in 1998. Current occupancy is private and has not been investigated.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Former Manse, 11 and 13 Main Street, LB16705 — Current designation status, statutory identity, official mapped point, date, fabric and significance.
- Trove: Former Manse — National collection entry corroborating designation identity, mapped position and related archive material.
- Save Wemyss Ancient Caves Society: East Wemyss village and walkabout — Locally researched village context connecting the coast, church, domestic buildings and mining-era settlement.
- 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 33989 96803 · 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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