ENFPS AGM at Kellie Castle 5 May 
At our AGM we welcomed Martin Gorrie who was elected as treasurer, David Jenkins having stood down after a heroic 10 years in the role. Other office holders were confirmed in their posts, and retiring trustees were re-elected with Martin Gorrie added to their number.  Dr David Jones gave a very well-received illustrated talk on ‘New Thoughts on East Neuk furniture”, covering 16th and 17th century carving in the burghs of Crail, Pittenweem and St Monans, including a look at how John Henry Lorimer co-opted examples of this early furniture into some of his paintings.

ENFPS visit to Balcarres 3 June
Over 40 members attended the Society’s visit to Balcarres house and gardens at the invitation of the Earl and Countess of Crawford and Balcarres.  The Earl gave us a gripping account of his family history and then conducted us on a tour of the house, talking us through its outstanding collection of European art, and with Dr David Jones on hand to tell us about its 18th century furniture. 
Thereafter we were able to explore Balcarres’ magnificent terraced gardens, and visit the atmospheric 16th century roofless Chapel.     

Our tour culminated with the traditional ENFPS drinks and nibbles in the courtyard. 
A donation of the £400 proceeds of ticket sales for the visit was made to our hosts’ chosen charity, St Monans 1875 Disaster Memorial Garden, with ENFPS donating a further £400.   This photo shows the subsequent handing over at Balcarres of the ENFPS cheque to Kim Cameron representing the Memorial Garden project.

ENFPS visit to Balcaskie 23 July
The visit started with a tour of Comielaw, an old farm steading on the Balcaskie estate imaginatively converted into 16 business units, with a mixture of artist studios, craft workshops and tech businesses.  We were shown round by our host Toby Anstruther and enjoyed meeting several of the business owners and viewing their work.      

We then made our way the half mile or so to Balcaskie House, one of the finest 17th century houses in Scotland. Toby explained the history of the house, originally designed for his own occupation by Sir William Bruce, a significant political figure in the time of Charles II, and who introduced classical architecture to Scotland. 
Balcaskie was acquired by the Anstruther family at the end of the 17th century, perhaps to escape from their Dreel Castle home which Charles II had slighted as a ‘craw’s nest’.      

Toby conducted us on a tour of the house interior, followed by refreshments and impressive nibbles organised by our volunteers in the south-facing garden.  The beautiful terraced garden is aligned with a vista right down to the St Monans windmill on the coast and across to the Bass Rock. 
A donation of the proceeds of the visit was made to our hosts’ chosen charity, Anstruther Improvements Association.     

ENFPS visit to Fife Council Archive Collection at Glenrothes Bankhead 9 September
Fife’s chief archivist Andrew Dowsie hosted a conducted tour of the Council’s Collection. Limitations on numbers meant that only of our 15 members could attend. The Collection holds many interesting artefacts, particularly from Fife’s industrial past. As shown, the two 16c ‘caquetoire’ chairs, cared for by the Society in its St Monans office for over 50 years, are now stacked up on metal racking. The Society will be liaising with Fife Museums to see if information on the history and importance of these chairs can be displayed.     

Hew Lorimer - lecture in Crail Church Hall on Friday 19 September 7pm
This lecture by Ian Buchanan Smith will reflect on the life and work of Hew Lorimer, surveying his major commissions, and his involvement in the National Trust for Scotland's Little Houses Improvement Scheme.

Lorimer Society Autumn Lecture – Saturday 4 October 10am at Kellie Castle
The lecture continues the current focus on the Lorimer Women and full details, including booking, are available from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. ENFPS members are welcome to attend.

Pittenweem Priory – ENFPS project for interpretive panels
Design and illustration work for the three panels is complete and installation of the panels is provisionally scheduled for late October. The covering email to this newsletter has an attachment showing the designs.

East Neuk church closures :
St Monans Kirk – the St Monans Auld Kirk Enterprise group (SMAKE) has successfully secured the funding to acquire the historic Parish Church building from the Church of Scotland. SMAKE’s consultants have developed imaginative design proposals for the kirk which involve only minimal changes to the historic fabric, with its future use as a community event space/ café.  SMAKE is setting itself up as an incorporated registered charity and will be seeking funding for the major construction costs for the conversion works.

Pittenweem Parish Church – the Viability Appraisal and Architectural Feasibility reports commissioned by ENFPS on behalf of the Friends of Pittenweem Kirk (FoPK) was completed in April, its main recommendation being that community use of the Kirk building would only be viable if the Church Hall was also acquired. To take this forward FoPK has set up a company limited by guarantee (Old Marygate Pittenweem Ltd), with Graham Forbes as Chair and Bill Kennaway as Secretary. Agreement in principle has been reached with the Church of Scotland to give FoPK the opportunity to submit its proposals before the Kirk is put to auction, and a similar agreement is being sought from the Kirk Session as owner of the Church Hall.

Elie Parish Church – the working group, chaired by ENFPS Elie representative, Alastair Graham, looking to take over the church, has set itself up as a company limited by guarantee and has raised the funds enabling it to proceed with a Viability Appraisal for community use of the building as a café/ event space.

Kilconquhar Parish Church – faced with the very high costs of upkeep the congregation has requested that Fife Presbytery proceed with closure and disposal of the building.

Crail Parish Church – previously reprieved, Fife Presbytery has now scheduled the church for closure, although this decision will be reviewed in 2026.

ENFPS Christmas Event to be held in Pittenweem on Thursday 11 December 
Our Christmas social will be held on 11 December from 7-9pm in Coastline Community Church, Session Street, Pittenweem, KY10 2QL. We warmly welcome historian and ENFPS member Paula Martin who will give an illustrated lecture on the ‘Milestones of Fife’ followed by mulled wine, mince pies and other festive nibbles. The meeting is open to non-members, so please spread the word and bring your friends.
Tickets are £10 per head and can be paid for by bank transfer to ENFPS Treasurers Account, sort code 83-24-24, Acc No 16067868 (use your surname as reference). Or by cheque to “East Neuk of Fife Preservation Society” and sent to Bill Kennaway, Gyles House, 6 The Gyles, Pittenweem, KY10 2NG. Tickets can also be purchased at the door, but in that case please contact Bill Kennaway on 01333 313172 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to ensure a place is reserved for you.  Pre-bought tickets will be held at the door rather than posted out.

With our very best wishes
Bill Kennaway, Chair, East Neuk of Fife Preservation Society