Abbot House, Dunfermline facts for kids
Abbot House is the oldest non-religious building in Dunfermline, Scotland. It stands right next to Dunfermline's big abbey church. The main part of the building was built in the 1500s.
It used to be a heritage centre, a place where you could learn about history. But it closed in August 2015 because it couldn't find enough money to stay open.
Good news came in March 2016! The Carnegie Dunfermline Trust took over Abbot House. They planned to open it to the public again. In November 2016, Fire Station Creative was chosen to help run it.
By May 2017, plans showed that a reopened Abbot House would have a cafe, a restaurant, and rooms for meetings. They hoped to open the cafe very soon. In July 2018, the Trust shared that they had almost all the money needed to reopen Abbot House.
History of Abbot House
Abbot House is the oldest building in Dunfermline that isn't a church. It even survived the Great Fire of Dunfermline in 1624! This building shows how Scottish architecture changed from the 1500s to the 1900s.
The first part of the house was a two-story rectangular block. It was built into an old wall around the abbey. This early house also had a small tower. As you explore the house, you can see many old features. These include special stepped gables from an early outside wall.
One cool part is a wall painting from 1571. It might show scenes from an old Scottish version of a story by Virgil. This painting is in the main room on the first floor. There is also a beautiful window with stone patterns, called tracery, from the 1300s.
Archaeologists started digging in the garden of Abbot House in 1988. They did more digs in 1992, 1993, and 1994. They explored eleven different spots in total. During these digs in the 1990s, they found many interesting things.
One exciting find was the bones of a very large dog. It was probably a deerhound or wolfhound, standing about 86 centimeters (about 34 inches) tall at the shoulder! They also found pieces of medieval pottery, both glazed and unglazed. Other discoveries included old clothing parts, personal items, and iron tools. Two ceramic 'counters' were found, which were used for games and gambling long ago. They also found old clay pipes. Even ancient coins from the 1300s to the 1600s were discovered!
The House Motto
On the front of Abbot House, there is a special saying or motto. It says: 'Sen vord is thrall and thocht is fre : Keip veill thy tonge I coinsell the'. This means (Since word is a slave and thought is free: keep well your tongue I advise you). It's a reminder to think before you speak!
This motto was put there for Robert Pitcairn. He was the Commendator of Dunfermline (a type of church leader) and lived until 1584.
What's Inside Now
Abbot House closed to visitors in 2015. But it is now slowly reopening! The Gift Shop opened on August 18, 2020. After that, The Workshop opened, offering fun learning activities. The cafe is planned to reopen in 2021.
