Dreel Halls - Anstruther, Fife, Scotland
Posted by: 
creg-ny-baa
N 56° 13.338 W 002° 42.259
30V E 518335 N 6230860
16th century steeple of the former Anstruther Wester Parish Church, now the Dreel Halls, in the fishing town of Anstruther in the East Neuk of Fife.
Waymark Code: WM19J39
Location: Northern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/05/2024
Views: 0
This tower with steeple dates back to the 16th century and forms part of the Dreel Halls, formerly the parish church of Anstruther Wester in the Fife town situated on the Firth of Forth coast.
A church has stood on this site next to the mouth of the Dreel Burn just west of the harbour since 1243, when it was dedicated to St Nicolas by the monks of the Island of May. The tower was built sometime in the 16th century with the steeple reroofed in 1761 along with the reconstruction of the church which has been continually altered up to the 19th century.
Named Anstruther Wester Parish Church, the town is split either side of the Dreel Burn into Wester and Easter, it remained a place of worship until the 20th century when it was converted into a church hall and renamed Hew Scott Hall. In 2014 it underwent restoration and was renamed the Dreel Halls.
The steeple stands on the main A917 route through the town facing west over the road as it enters a double bend to cross the Dreel Burn. The tower is rubble-built of four storeys under a sandstone corbelled parapet with a slated broach spire above. A clock was added in 1858. The best view of the building and steeple is from the harbour area to the east.