A few months ago on an open day we visited the Old Kirk, Kirkcaldy, the old parish church of the town, whose tower can be seen here from Kirk Wynd.

We knew before we went that there was some stained glass by the pre-Raphaelite (in its later phase) Edward Burne Jones.

The church is no longer in use as a place of worship having been closed as such by the Church of Scotland in November 2010. The congregation merged with that of St Brycedale Church – no more than 50 yards away! – to become known as St Bryce Kirk. St Bryce is the patron saint of Kirkcaldy. (See here.) These two Burne Jones windows are towards the back of the building if you were entering from Kirk Wynd and are only two of many stained glass windows whose splendour cannot be fully experienced from the outside.

The above much more recent stained glass windows represent the flames of the fire which damaged the interior a good few years ago. These flank the main entrance from Kirk Wynd.

One slightly older window by Crear McCartney is on the immediate left wall (see left.)

None of the pews remain as the space inside has been cleared for community use.

It is possible to climb the tower. Don’t do it on a windy day (of which there are a quite a few in Kirkcaldy) as you are fairly exposed on the tower parapet.

Before the stairs/ladders which allow the climb we passed the impressive memorial – see below – to the members of the congregation who died in the World Wars. (The 1939-45 addition blends in well.)

I had to stitch three pictures to get the full panorama of the memorial as the space to step back was limited. The passageway to the stairs is on the left of this.

This is the seventh time I have used this post title.

The question mark above appears because about two weeks ago – mid-January – we noticed a cherry tree flowering – a sign of the mild winter we’ve been having.

That Sunday, the 15^th, I photographed it.

The same day the park’s pond was partly frozen over.

Further round the park was evidence of the wild storms we endured recently.

Some conifers had fallen in the area around the fountain – a fountain whose winter spectacle I featured in this post two years ago.

The picture is from the Scottish Cinemas website.

This building’s main claim to fame is that the Beatles once played there. I think it was when they were just on the cusp of fame. I wasn’t around at the time. (Not in Fife anyway.)

Like many cinemas it failed to survive the changing times and is now demolished.

Shame it’s gone, though.

I’m running out of Art Deco buildings in Kirkcaldy to feature. This one is minor deco at best.

The building is not in the main part of the High Street but in its continuation towards Sailor’s Walk and the harbour.

I can’t remember what it used to be (a baker’s perhaps?) but it’s a baby provisions shop now.

Detail of the doorway is on my flickr.

Minor Deco again.

This is in Links Street, Kirkcaldy, just beyond the traffic lights at the southern end of the High Street’s junction with Nicol Street.

The wall beside it has two Deco pillars. The Deco styling continues along the wall’s top. (See my flickr.)

It’s a while since I’ve posted any photos of Kirkcaldy and its environs.

Just up the coast and originally a separate village but now swallowed up by greater Kirkcaldy is Dysart.

It has a nice wee harbour which the picture below does not show completely. The former Harbour Master’s House on the quayside is now a bistro.

Dysart’s main industry used to be mining. This is the winding gear of the Barony Coal Mine as was.

There are some striking pan-tiled roof houses in Dysart. This part of the village is known as Pan Ha’.

The tower in the background is called St Serf’s Tower.

A couple more pictures of Dysart are on my flickr.

Aberdour is a village few miles along the coast from Kirkcaldy going towards the Forth Bridges.

You can do a nice little walk from the Railway Station on the main road down to the harbour and along left and round by the Primary School back to the Railway Station.

Further along the main road stands the kirk which like in South Queensferry has the War Memorial incorporated into a wall.

Two very minor pieces of deco on Kirkcaldy High Street. I’ve never been inside either of them.

Above is a close-up of the building housing “Artistry” which as you can see now hosts a hairdressers’. I’ve no idea what it was originally. The windows can’t be original but I like the stepped roof. The street frontage is a typical modern glass and steel effort.

This is further along, beyond the pedestrianised part. As you can see this one hosts a cafe (which has been refurbished recently.) It has a nice wavy stepped frontage but seems to have been squeezed in between two others. Modern windows again. Curiously the cafe’s entrance is not from the High Street but rather up a side street and in round the back.

A little bit further along Victoria Road from the former Nairn and Williamson offices as you go towards the town centre is a fitness centre called Priory Park which has Art Deco features.

There are lots of horizontals and verticals, especially the chimney. The windows have been messed about with though so it looks a bit weird.

This shows the decidedly non-deco extension.

Between the Nairn and Williamson offices and Priory Park is Priory View.

There are some minor Art Deco features to this – or would be if the windows hadn’t been replaced. The building obviously needs some care and attention: starting with the missing roan pipes.

This ought to have been one of the earliest posts in this sequence as it is the major public building in the town, being a centre for local government. However for a long time it was festooned in scaffolding so it had to wait. This was taken in late November – of 2009. See if you can spot Santa’s sleigh!

I have paid my Council Tax in here many a time. (No longer as they force us to pay by direct debit now.) These later pictures were taken a few weeks ago. The entranceway is impressive.

This statue lies to the left of the entrance

The town crest appears twice on the building. Here, above the door on the South side.

Also in the stonework on the East side.

More photos can be seen on my Flickr site.