Craigtoun Hospital (Former), Craigtoun Park, St Andrews

Large early Renaissance mansion with some Scottish Baronial features. Two/three storey and attic, asymmetrical composition of hammer-dressed pink sandstone with polished ashlar dressings. Small-paned windows. Westmoreland slated roof with crested ridge tiles and clustered octagon and lozenge stacks. West entrance elevation has off-centre advanced and gabled entrance bay with round arched open porch, arcaded band and 3 slim windows above octagonal angles; one window link to gable on left with 2 windows ground floor, three at 1st and 3-light attic. Wide 5-light stone mullioned and transomed hall window bay to right with arcaded parapet and segmentally over-arched bipartite to right, 2 small windows, 2 larger windows and left-hand mullioned and transomed window above, corbelled and canted three-light oriel bay with denticulated gablet, tall shafted stack and corbelled angle turret with conical roof at attic level far right.

Formerly Mount Melville House, rebuilt for the Younger family of brewery fame. (Historic Scotland)

In 1947 Mount Melville House along with 47 acres and the East and West Avenues, were bought by Fife County Council for £25,000. Its name was changed to Craigtoun, and the grounds were established as a Country Park. The remainder of the estate continued to be farmed by the Mount Melville Estate. The mansion became a hospital until 1992 when it was sold, together with 330 acres of parkland to the Old Course Hotel, St Andrews who developed the Dukes Golf Course in the west park. (Historic Scotland, Gardens & Designed Landscapes)

October 2010: Permission was granted for Change of Use/Alter/Extend Former Hospital to form Leisure Club and Ancillary Hotel Accommodation around 1998, ref: 98/00316/EFULL. Listed building consent to alter interior & demolish modern extensions was granted, with conditions in 2007 ref: 07/01603/ELBC.

15 July 2014: External inspection finds the building, understood to last have been in full use around 1992 as a hospital, remains disused. Most openings are boarded up. The roof has some slipped and damaged roof slates/ ridges. Rainwater goods are largely intact but there are areas of dampness to walls behind some downpipes. Where windows aren't boarded or protected there are some broken glazings. Renewal of planning permission 09/00223/EFULL for extension to building to form single storey conservatory was conditionally approved Jun 2014. Move to At Risk.

3 June 2015: A member of the public advises that clearance works in anticipation of conversion to form apartments did initially commence. The scheme subsequently stalled and the site was instead mothballed.

13 June 2019: External inspection finds the building remains in much the same condition as seen previously. The surrounding grounds are overgrown.

12 November 2019: Listed Building Consent for external alterations to listed building (repair and part-replacement to roof), erection of perimeter security fencing and security lighting is being sought (9/02940/LBC).

7 January 2022: Planning permission (19/02941/FULL) approved for external alterations to listed building (repair and part-replacement to roof), erection of perimeter security fencing and security lighting.

25 January 2023: The courier reported on January 6th 2023 that a planning application has been submitted and listed building consent sought to convert the hospital into 27 apartments with additional flats in the grounds. (22/04134/LBC)(22/04135/FULL).