St Andrews businessman buys £200k Fife church with plans to turn it into 3-bedroom home

A St Andrews businessman has bought a former Fife church with plans to transform it into a three-bedroom home.

Mark McIntosh, a surveyor who set up St Andrews Property Centre in 2019, bought B-listed Kemback Church near Cupar for more than double its £100,000 asking price last year.

The 210-year-old building was put on the market by the Church of Scotland after congregation numbers fell.

Mark has now submitted plans to Fife Council to turn the building into a house.

He says he would keep the outside of the building the same but plans to create a family home for himself and his partner inside.

Kemback Church conversion would be ‘sympathetic to original building’

He told The Courier: “I am really excited about our plans to convert this property.

“It is a really pretty church building and we plan to be as sympathetic to the original building as possible, keeping all the original windows.

“Where possible, there will be little or no change to the external appearance of the property.

“We will even be keeping the original church bell which is around 1,000 years old.”

Mark says the balcony area would be converted into a master bedroom suite with a bathroom and dressing room.

If the plans are approved, there will also be two further bedrooms on the ground floor along with an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area.

He said: “We are fitting the church out with top quality, high-end fitments – I want to get this right.

“I am aware of the historical significance of this church and I want to reassure people that I am doing everything possible to make sure the conversion is sympathetic to the original building.”

Mark hopes to be able to start renovations before Christmas with a view to moving in early next year.

It is believed there has been a church in Kemback since the 13th century and the present church, the third to be built there, dates from 1814.

It was renovated in the 1920s and contains an attractive stained glass window.

The church was part of the rotational use of Kemback, Ceres and Springfield churches and was used on a three-weekly basis before falling attendance numbers saw the Church of Scotland put it up for sale.