From a distance, the Belvedere Hotel, in West Wemyss, Fife, appears to be a perfectly normal establishment, ready and waiting to welcome guests. The building is well kept, its lawns neatly mown. However, approach a little closer and you quickly realise the windows are in fact boarded up, the wood painted to look like there is still life in what is now a deserted, ghostly building.
Dating from 1927, the structure housed a Miners’ Welfare Institute until 1952. It lay dormant for a time before being bought by the Wemyss Development Company in 1978 and, along with a cluster of neighbouring houses, was converted into the Belvedere Hotel, which opened its doors to guests in 1986.
Blessed with views over the village harbour and Firth of Forth, the three-star property boasted 20 en-suite rooms, a 50-seat restaurant, lounge bar and private car park. It was run by Australians Stacey and Rick Warren until 2006 when it was taken over by Fife businessman Michael Heavey.
In 2016, however, the hotel closed and was put on the market. As yet a buyer has to be found and it remains empty and on the Buildings at Risk Register. It is also a listed building.
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