Greetings Travelers
In this video and post, we are taking a look at one of the oldest buildings here in Fife and one of the newest hipster hotspots.
Let's start with this beautiful old building, fondly referred to as the "Kirkcaldy Auld Kirk". Auld is the Scottish word for old and kirk means church. The exact date of this building's origin is unknown although the earliest reference to it dates back to the year 1244 when it was consecrated by the Roman Catholic Bishop de Bernham to St. Patrick and St. Brisse (St. Bryce).
The impressive clock tower is a more recent addition to the main body of the church, having been built sometime in the 15th century. It is possible to access and climb the tower on Sundays and at other times during school holidays. This is something I have yet to do but will make a point of doing it during the summer. The view from the top of the tower will offer some impressive photo opportunities looking over the town towards Edinburgh on the other side of the Forth Estuary.
Although the stone tower dates back to the 15th century the clock is of more modern origin, and has been replaced several times.
The houses beside the church grounds also have some wonderful aesthetics.
I love this "wizard's hat" steeple, it gives this building an enchanted fairy tale look to it.
I imagine this seal on the building is the seal of some important Freemasonic lodge.It looks incredibly well-weathered.
This is the building shot from the front in all its Freemasonic fairytale grandeur. Surprisingly I cant find to much information on this building other than it was built sometime in the 18th century.
Let's head inside and take a look at the interior of the Church.
One of the first things we notice is the impressive stained glass windows that adorn all sides of the church and flood the building with light and color. Some of these windows date back to the late 1800s but most of them are much more modern adornments.
To the left of the stage, we see a model of the church. Im unsure of its origin but it makes for a pretty cool focal point.
Another noteworthy sight in the interior of the church is this impressive late 19th-century organ.
In 1885, the church was being equipped with a new oak pulpit which had to be brought forward to allow the organ to be located behind it. The organ was built and installed by August Gern in the same year 1885. August Gern was a German trained by the famous French organ-builders of Cavaille-Coll. He came to Britain to build one organ but stayed on to build many more, only about ten of which were built in Scotland.
One noteworthy story about the church is the disaster that happened in the Summer of 1828.
As a crowd of 1500 rose and leaned forward to see the now famous preacher Rev . Edward Irving the beams supporting the gallery collapsed, 2 people were killed during the fall and a further 26 died in the chaos that ensued.In total 150 people were injured. The church is said to be haunted by a few phantoms,some of which are thought to have been linked to this tragic event.
On this particular visit to the Old Kirk, I was attending an event hosted by my mother. She is a founding member of the Langtoun Jazz committee and on this evening they were hosting a band from Dundee called SCuba which is a Latin Jazz quintet.I like to think the spirits that haunt the church get to enjoy these concerts for free :).
As the band was setting up and rehearsing I was busy taking photographs and filming the church and surrounding area.
Lets head back outside and take a look at some of the historic gravestones in the churchyard.
Outside in the churchyard, we find this map that highlights some historically important graves.
As I am learning fun facts about Kirkcaldys famous deceased the sun starts setting over the churchyard.
I take a few minutes to take shots of the more photogenic stones in the churchyard.
This grave has an interesting design. Can you guess why the stone is elevated above the grave like this?
It was a method of deterring graverobbers back when fresh corpses were worth a lot of money to Universities.
As I am heading out of the churchyard towards the stairs that lead to the street known as Kirkwynd I spot a rather curious grave next to this house.
The stone simply reads "The Burying Ground of A & E Simpson" and I cant help but think of Grandpa Abe Simpson from the TV Show.
At the bottom of the stairs that lead onto Kirkwynd we come to the location of the new hipster hotspot in town.
Jock's Grill House ,home to what many folks are calling the best burgers in Fife.
This place opened in the spring of 2022 ,I have been meaning to visit it since and finally got a chance to do so while the band was setting up and rehearsing in the church.
The decor here is very eye-catching and undeniably hipster.
On this occasion, both my father and I decided to try "Jock's Rarebit Burger" the cheapest burger on the menu at £13.95. The beef from these burgers comes from a renowned butcher's which is located just around the corner from the grillhouse. This Puddledub beef is something I need to acquire for my own burger creations this summer.
The next time I visit this grill house I want to try the Black Magic Burger, I gotta see that Black charcoal brioche bun and see if this offering is worth the staggering £17.95 asking price.
While we wait for our rarebit burgers we order some drinks. Its worth noting that the grill house doesn't have an alcohol license, they only serve soft drinks and mocktails. However, they have a partnership with Kraft Wines which is situated next door.
You can bring drinks into the grill house from Kraftys if you want a fancy up-market beverage with your burger. On this occasion, I settle for a J20 Orange and passionfruit, and my father orders a Victorian Lemonade.
The fries here are delicious,I guess they have a beef dripping coating that makes them extra crispy. They are served with chilli and herb mayo which tastes fantastic,a perfect chip dip.
The burger certainly has the looks of a gourmet hipster burger. This is the first time I have had a pretzel bun .I feel this is going to be the standard I judge all burgers by from now on. It gets a solid 9/10 from me.
I open the burger up to show that it's loaded with toppings. Romain lettuce on the bottom is a touch of class, a good burger chef knows its always lettuce on the bottom.3 nice chunky pickles is also a neccesitie of a good burger. The Arann cheddar sauce is certainly preferred over the standard sliced burger cheese.
The extra thick Puddledub beef pattie seals the deal, this certainly is a very tasty gourmet burger.
On this occasion, we didn't have time or room in our stomachs for dessert but I did get this shot of some of their offerings.
Take note of the skull full of complementary chocolate-mint coins.
We picked up a bottle of wine from Krafys which cost a staggering £12.99 , a bit pricey in my opinion but Latin Jazz needs to be accompanied by red wine so we picked this bottle up.
At the end of the video above I have included a few minutes of the Jazz Quintets set so you get an idea of the atmosphere that evening.
Overall this evening was a good end to the Spring break season.I hoped you guys enjoyed the post and the video. :)
▶️ 3Speak