‘It is believed that Strathkinness or Nydie stone was used in the building

of Balmerino Abbey and that a road existed between the two places.

‘Strathkinness stone was used to build the original Holy Trinity Church

(the Town Kirk) in St. Andrews, which was built in 1412, although

Strathkinness stone was not used in its restoration in 1907—1909. The west

end of St. Andrews Cathedral, some of St. Salvator’s Chapel and the old

university library were also built of it, and Strathkinness stone was widely used

in the late 1800s and early 1900s when Newport and Worm it were expanding.

‘Stone from Strathkinness was used extensively for buildings in St.Andrews

especially in the 19th century. Nydie stone was used to build Greyfriars

Gardens in the 1830s, as well as Hope Street, Abbotsford Crescent, and

Howard Place in the 1840s. The College Halls in the quadrangle at the Univer-

sity of St. Andrews were built of Nydie stone in 1846 as were some of the

laboratories in the quadrangle which were built between 1892 and 1900. St.

Leonard’s Church in St. Andrews built in 1904 was the last major building to

be constructed of Nydie stone.

‘It is unlikely that any house in the village was built of anything other

than Strathkinness stone as there is no house which stands out as Iookin9

different in that respect. The local stone is white or golden and weathers to

a grey. Cupar stone weathers to a buff colour because of its iron content and

looks quite different.

‘The brick, pipe and tile works at Seafield, near Easter Kincaple, which

closed in 1942, probably made most of the pantiles used in the village. The

works used local clay which was deposited at the end of the last Ice Age’.

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