Corn Exchange, Cupar

The Corn Exchange is a commercial building in the St Catherine Street, Cupar, Fife, Scotland. The structure, which is now used as a community events venue, is a Category B listed building.^[1]

In the late-1850s, a group of local businessmen decided to form a private company, known as the "Cupar Corn Exchange Company", to finance and commission a corn exchange for the town. One of the early subscribers, in September 1959, was the Lord Chancellor, John Campbell, 1st Baron Campbell. The site they selected was on the corner of St Catherine Street and Castlehill.^[2]

The foundation stone for the new building was laid in August 1861. It was designed by Campbell Douglas in the Gothic Revival style, built in rubble masonry at a cost of £4,000 and was completed in 1862.^[3][4][5] The design involved a four-stage tower facing onto St Catherine Street. The first stage featured a square headed doorway set in an arched recess flanked by cast iron lanterns, the second stage involved a French door and a balcony and the third stage involved a casement window with ogee-shaped carvings above, while the fourth stage involved a pair of mullioned windows. The tower was surmounted by a spire with lucarnes. The Castlehill elevation, which extended back for seven bays, was built in a plainer style and was fenestrated with small square windows on the ground floor and with dormer windows at attic level. Internally, the principal room was the main hall which was 90 feet (27 m) long and 50 feet (15 m) wide.^[6] The spire, at 136 feet (41 m) high,^[7] became a dominant feature on the local skyline.^[8]

Un gran concierto, celebrado bajo el patrocinio del 1er Cuerpo Voluntario de Caballería Ligera de Forfarshire , que se había formado en la primavera de 1870, ^{[ 9 ]} tuvo lugar en el edificio el 12 de julio de 1870. ^{[ 10 ]} El uso del edificio como lonja de cereales disminuyó significativamente a raíz de la Gran Depresión de la Agricultura Británica a finales del siglo XIX. ^{[ 11 ]} En su lugar, se convirtió en un lugar para eventos comunitarios que albergaba una variedad de festivales, ^{[ 12 ]} ferias, ^{[ 13 ]} y conciertos. ^{[ 14 ]} Fue adquirido por el Ayuntamiento de Cupar en 1961 y la empresa inactiva, que había desarrollado la lonja de cereales, fue adquirida, junto con sus libros y registros, por Cupar Heritage en 2016. ^{[ 2 ]}

• Lista de edificios catalogados en Cupar, Fife.