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Kirkcaldy is the largest town in Fife and the largest settlement between Edinburgh and Dundee. It stands near the site of one of the earliest documented battles in Scottish history. In 596 CE invading Angles were defeated by an alliance of local tribes under the King of Dalriada. Kirkcaldy was long under the jurisdiction of the Abbot of Dunfermline.
In the sixteenth century its port brought timber into Scotland for the shipyards and also for structures such as Holyrood House and Edinburgh Castle. Kirkcaldy was burnt by the Jacobites during the Rising of 1715. The Industrial Revolution brought the textile industry to the town, followed by whaling in the nineteenth century. Today most jobs in Kirkcaldy are in the service sector.
Activities and attractions
The Old Kirk in Kirkcaldy is no longer used for worship services. It is in the care of the National Trust. Features to note include its square tower in the Norman fashion and the assortment of interesting gravestones in the kirkyard. St. Brycedale's Church with its 60 metre spire now contains not only the church on its upper floors but social and educational facilities on the lower levels.
Kirkcaldy Town House was built in 1937. The low flat structure shows substantial Scandinavian influence. To the rear of the structure are six out of seven of the provosts' lamps from the Royal Burghs within Kirkcaldy district. The War Memorial dating from the 1920s and the nearby Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are fine examples of their respective genres.
Fifteenth century Ravenscraig Castle was the first Scottish fortification built to withstand artillery. It was planned by King James II, but he was killed in the Borders before he could begin construction. His widow Mary of Guelders eventually completed the castle as a dower house. Her son James II traded the castle to William Sinclair, then Earl of Orkney, in exchange for that title and certain lands previously held from the King of Norway. Ravenscraig was damaged in Cromwell's invasion, but stayed in the Sinclair family and later that of the Earls of Rosslyn until its sale at the beginning of the twentieth century. It is currently in the care of the National Trust for Scotland.
Kirkcaldy is the birthplace of Adam Smith, the social philosopher whose 1767 treatise on the Wealth of Nations still has influence on right wing economic policy. There is no monument to Smith in the town, but the Adam Smith Theatre stands opposite the town's Museum and Art Gallery, and Adam Smith College has two campuses in Kirkcaldy.
Access and Places To Stay
Kirkcaldy lies on the north side of the Firth of Forth. Drivers coming from Edinburgh should take the Forth Road Bridge and then follow the M90 to the A92, which leads east to the town. Kirkcaldy railway station has frequent service to Edinburgh, Dundee and points onward, and motor coach service is similarly comprehensive.
Lodging in the area ranges from bed and breakfast and guesthouse accommodation to hotels well into the luxury end of the range. Restaurants offer an incredible variety of ethnic cuisine at several levels of service, and the plentiful pubs make the town a natural venue for a night's pub crawl.
Accommodation in Kirkcaldy
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