Arts and crafts in Fife

Fife is in Scotland. It has a population of around 365,000 and covers approximately 132,000 hectares. Here is a list of nearby or neighbouring counties: Angus, Clackmannanshire, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Perth and Kinross, West Lothian.

The historic county of Fife (Fìobha in Scottish Gaelic) in eastern Scotland is a peninsula with borders on the North Sea and the Firth of Forth, which is spanned by the Forth road and rail bridges that connect the county to Edinburgh. Along the coast there are fishing villages and port towns and among the rural landscape there are hill forts dating back over a thousand years to when Fife was a Pictish kingdom, as well as the remains of medieval castles such as Aberdour and Balgonie. Towns in the county include St Andrews, location of the oldest university in Scotland and called the home of golf, Glenrothes, the first town in the UK to have a town artist and Kirkcaldy, home to the Kirkcaldy Galleries which has collections including paintings and exhibits from local history. Cultural events in Fife include the Stanza Poetry Festival, which is known around the world, where poets blend their readings with performing and visual arts such as music, dance and film. Theatres in Fife include the Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy which opened in 1899 and has a programme including drama, music, comedy, dance and film, and Carnegie Hall, an Art Deco theatre which opened in Dunfermline in the 1930s.

Historic buildings in Fife include the remains of Dunfermline Abbey, which was built between the 12th and 13th century, replacing Iona during the medieval period as the burial place for Scottish kings, including Robert the Bruce. Built during the first half of the 16th century to replace the 12th century Falkland Castle and Palace, Falkland Palace was a royal palace used as a country house by the Stewart monarchs. The Renaissance palace was restored during the late 19th century and became a National Trust for Scotland property during the 1950s. Inside the palace there are rooms with restored period furnishings, decorated with Flemish tapestries, painted ceilings and portraits of Stuart monarchs and in the grounds there are beautiful gardens and the oldest real tennis court in the world that is still in use. Kellie Castle is located near to the village of Arncroach and though some parts of the castle date back to the 14th century, most of what visitors can see today was built during the 16th and 17th century. During the 19th and 20th century the property was home to the Lorimer family, including the architect and furniture designer Robert Lorimer, and they restored much of the interior furnishings and decorations. The Lorimer families prominence in the Arts and Craft movement is reflected in the design of the picturesque walled garden in the castle grounds.