PDA

View Full Version : Archived: Crawford Priory, Cupar, Fife (March 09)



escortmad79
15-03-2009, 06:56 PM
My first written report on here for a while, but this place is very much worth putting up!

Crawford Priory:

Built on the Southern bank of the River Eden to replace Crawford Lodge, a Palladian Villa built by the 21st Earl of Crawford in 1758.

Crawford Lodge was substantially enlarged by Lady Mary Lindsay Crawford who enlisted architects David Hamilton in 1809 & 2 years later James Gillespie Graham to redesign the building in a Gothic style, adding buttresses, turrets & pinnacles to give it the look of a Priory, although the building has no Religious history.

Crawford Priory was unrivalled among early neo-gothic mansions in Scotland due to the lavishness of its interior with its great hall decorated with fan vaulting & canopied gothic niches, of which only a small section remains in situ, the rest being lost with the collapse of the upper floors.

In 1869 Crawford was inherited by the 6th Earl of Glasgow who renovated Crawford, doubling the accommodation & constructing a tall gothic tower which was demolished in the 1970s due to its precarious condition.
In 1871 he enlisted architect William Little to design a large private Episcopal chapel on the first floor adjacent to the tower.

The house passed to the 7th Earl of Glasgow who was forced to sell due to huge debts & it was purchased by politician Thomas Cochrane, son in law of the 6th Earl of Glasgow.

Further remodelling was undertaken in the 1920s including moving the porte cochere to the west front by Reginald Fairlie.

With the death of the 2nd Baron Cochrane of Cults in 1968, the building was in need of major restoration so was abandoned.

Crawford has been described as “perhaps the most important Gothic Priory House in Scotland”, which makes it even more of a pity that it’s been allowed to deteriorate as far as it has, especially in such a short amount of time (The upper floors were still standing during the late 1980s)

Crawford House was coal heated & would use 100 tonnes of coal per year to heat the house. In todays market (March 2009) with the price of coal at a price of circa £275 per tonne would mean a cost of £27500 a year just to heat the property!

Pics:

http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/DSCF7630.jpg

http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/DSCF7636.jpg

http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/DSCF7639.jpg

http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/DSCF7642.jpg

http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/DSCF7670.jpg

http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/DSCF7678.jpg

http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/6b1e93a1.jpg

http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/DSCF7692.jpg

http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/DSCF7704.jpg

http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/DSCF7702_edited.jpg
Precarious window:
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/DSCF7723_edited.jpg
Detail of stonework:
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/DSCF7739.jpg
The view past the front door!
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/DSCF7757.jpg
The staircase:
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/DSCF7772.jpg
Tiles:
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/DSCF7776.jpg
Only remaining plasterwork:
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/DSCF7764.jpg
Close up detail, shame this could be lost very soon as the house continues to deteriorate!
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/DSCF7797.jpg
Shotgun cartridge:
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Priory/DSCF7719.jpg
Stables detail:
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS%20AND%20BIG%20HOUSES/Crawford%20Stables/DSCF7862_edited.jpg
Sundial:
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/EscortUrbex/MANSIONS AND BIG HOUSES/Crawford Stables/fSCF7876_edited.jpg

Rest of pictures here:
Crawford Priory: http://derelictionaddiction.fotopic.net/c1667454.html
Crawford Stables, Doocot & Sundial: http://derelictionaddiction.fotopic.net/c1667469.html

Thanks for looking ;)

zimbob
16-03-2009, 09:31 AM
It's climbable but seriously not recommended! Bryag from derelictplaces did climb it :ohmy

Crawford is highly dangerous!

It's worth climbing, just for the 'surf' back down on the fallen plaster :laugh

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/fife%20chrimbo/175.jpg

Good to see the tiles are still uncovered :)

Nice work, this is a great place :thumb

escortmad79
16-03-2009, 09:35 PM
Few pics from Scotlands Endangered Houses book showing what it used to look like, not the greatest quality as they're pics taken with a camera phone:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v115/escortmad79/DSC04223.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v115/escortmad79/DSC04226.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v115/escortmad79/DSC04220.jpg