Abbot House, Dunfermline facts for kids
Abbot House is a very old building in Dunfermline, Scotland. It's the oldest building in the town that wasn't built for religious purposes. It stands close to the famous Dunfermline Abbey. The main part of Abbot House was built in the 1500s.
For many years, Abbot House was a heritage centre, a place where people could learn about history. However, it closed in August 2015 because the group running it couldn't find enough money to keep it open.
In March 2016, the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust took over Abbot House. They wanted to open it to the public again. By November 2016, a group called Fire Station Creative was chosen to help run the building. In May 2017, plans were shared that Abbot House would have a cafe, restaurant, and rooms for meetings. The cafe was planned to open first. By July 2018, most of the money needed to reopen Abbot House had been found.
Contents
A Look Back: The History of Abbot House
Abbot House is the oldest non-religious building still standing in Dunfermline. It even survived a big fire in Dunfermline in 1624! This building shows how Scottish architecture changed over hundreds of years, from the 1500s all the way to the 1900s.
The very first part of the house was a two-story rectangular building. It was built right into the old wall that surrounded the abbey area. This early house also included a small tower, designed in a special "Z-plan" style. As you explore the house, you can see many original features, like the unique "crow-stepped gabling" on some of its older walls.
Amazing Discoveries Inside the House
One of the most exciting things inside Abbot House is a wall painting from 1571. It's a fresco, which means it was painted directly onto wet plaster. This painting might show scenes from an old Scottish version of a famous poem by Virgil. You can find this special painting in the main room on the first floor. There's also a beautiful window with detailed stone patterns, called tracery, that dates back to the 1300s.
What We Found in the Garden
Archaeologists started digging in the garden of Abbot House in 1988. They did more digs in 1992, 1993, and 1994, exploring eleven different spots in total. These digs in the 1990s uncovered many interesting things.
They found the bones of a very large dog, which was probably a deerhound or wolfhound. This dog would have stood about 86 centimeters (about 34 inches) tall at its shoulder! Other finds included pieces of pottery from the Middle Ages, both glazed (shiny) and unglazed. They also found parts of old clothes, personal items, and iron tools. Two small ceramic "counters," which were used for games and gambling long ago, were discovered, along with old clay pipes. Even old coins from the 1300s to the 1600s were found!
The House's Special Motto
On the front of Abbot House, there's a special message carved into the stone. 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).
This motto was put there for Robert Pitcairn, who was in charge of Dunfermline Abbey in the late 1500s. He passed away in 1584.
Visiting Abbot House Today
Abbot House was closed to visitors in 2015. However, it has been gradually reopening since then. The Gift Shop opened its doors on August 18, 2020. The Workshop, which offers fun learning activities, also opened. The cafe was planned to reopen in 2021.
