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High Street, ANSTRUTHER, KY10 2PG

The parish church, in the Fife fishing village, dominates the scene.

Pittenweem Hub on High Street, Pittenweem is a licensed grocer with an in-store pharmacy, a newsagent and a Post Office. There is a defibrillator on the wall Image

On the wall outside the shop Image

Until 1975 Pittenweem was a royal burgh, being awarded the status by King James V in 1541. Founded as a fishing village around a probably early Christian religious settlement, it grew along the shoreline from the west where the sheltered beaches provided safe places for fishermen to draw their boats up out of the water. In due course a breakwater was built, extending out from one of the rocky skerries that jut out south west into the Firth of Forth like fingers. This allowed boats to rest at anchor rather than being beached, providing a means for larger vessels to use the port. A new breakwater further to the east has been developed over the years into a deep, safe harbour with a covered fish market. As the herring disappeared from local waters and the fishing fleet shrank, this harbour and attendant facilities led Pittenweem to become the main harbour for the fishermen of the East Neuk of Fife.

The white houses with red roofs illustrate the classic East Neuk building style, influenced by trade with Belgium and the Netherlands. The East Neuk offered natural trading ports for Dutch and Belgian captains as they sailed up past the east coast of England. These ships brought red pantiles as ballast and the locals soon found them to be excellent roofing material. It is just possible to make out the "crow step gable", where the gable ends rise in steps rather than the more normal smooth angled line: an architectural feature imported from the Low Countries. These and other vernacular features are common throughout Pittenweem, which has one of Scotland's best-preserved and most attractive townscapes, with many historic buildings, some restored by the National Trust for Scotland. The 'organic' layout of the town centre, which grew up piecemeal over several centuries, with numerous winding streets and alleys, is one of its particular charms. Few Scottish towns have so well preserved their ancient character.

A pillar box (postbox number KY10 239) on High Street, Pittenweem, designated as a priority postbox for the return of Coronavirus (Covid-19) samples. The other notice on the box reads: FOR THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF OUR POSTIES CAN U PLEASE REFRAIN FROM ALLOWING YOUR DOG TO RELIEVE ITSELF ON OUR POST BOX THANK YOU

Bench Mark Database: https://www.bench-marks.org.uk/bm132640

Category A listed town house of 1590 and later, much rebuilt and restored 1969-71. Town residence of the Earls of Kelly and built by the Oliphants of Kellie with additions by Sir Thomas Erskine who was created Earl of Kellie in 1619.