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Summary

Description

1858 extended circa 1864-72. 3-storey, 12-bay linen factory, bays grouped 5-7, with later shops at ground floor, on ground falling to S. Large blocks of orange sandstone rubble to S and small red rubble to N; ashlar quoins, some dressed. Eaves lintel course. Stone cills.

E (ARCADE) ELEVATION: variety of modern shops at ground with doorway to centre. Regular fenestration above, but bay 9 with wider openings; bays 9 (door) and 12 at 1st floor and bay 12 at 2nd floor all blocked. Quoins to each floor between bays 5 and 6, and shouldered wallhead stack above.

W ELEVATION: regular fenestration with bays 1-7 blocked.

S ELEVATION: dominant gablehead stack with fluted consoles and fielded panel below cavetto cornice and concave-moulded coping.

Small-pane glazing patterns in timber sash and case windows. Graded slates. Coped and shouldered wallhead stack to W, coped stacks to gableheads. Ashlar-coped skews with square skewputts to S.

INTERIOR: not seen 1997.

Statement of Special Interest

Olympia Arcade is an unusual example of a 'multi-storey' linen works with a design reminiscent of a tenement rather than a factory, which is appropriate to its town centre setting. The multi-storey form was particularly unusual for a power loom weaving operation.

The mill is also an early example of this type industrial of development in Kirkcaldy, with the Industries of Kirkcaldy and District noting that it was "The property of Bailie Wemyss, and the first which was erected in the parish. When the factory was started the number of looms was 96: since then it has more than doubled in dimensions, and there are now nearly 200 looms. The employees number 190. The goods manufactured are ticks, plain and twilled sheetings, hucks, diapers Bengals etc." The mill is situated close to or incorporating the site of James Bogie's U-plan linen factory (built 1802) and Bethelfield Place built by Robert Wemyss in 1846. It is reported that the upper floors retain evidence of large machinery housings (1997). The arcade was formed for shops after the factory moved to a more conventional weaving shed, Caledonia Works, in 1898. Its multi-storey form had been unusual for power loom weaving.

(List description updated 2011)

References

Bibliography

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