A HISTORIC 17th-century townhouse in Inverkeithing has undergone a massive transformation. 

Fordell's Lodging on Church Street was previously a dwelling house and church hall but has been derelict for 15 years now.

Sam Montague of Kadima Developments bought the property last year for £75,000 and has gone on to renovate the old church hall. 

Before and after image of the main living space. (Image: Sean Begley)

He told the Press: "I've always wanted to do property development, ever since I was a kid playing with Lego, building houses.

"I grew up on building sites and when I left school at 16, I worked on a building site.

"Then I studied quantity surveying for a few years, worked in London and then set-up a building company here which then led to me doing this, where I was basically looking for areas in Fife, looking for any commercial property I could buy within my budget at the time.  

"I came across Fordell's Lodging, which was marketed by Shepherds, put in an offer, and it got accepted."

READ MORE: Plans to change the use of Fordell's Lodging

A prominent historic building in the town, Fordell's Lodging stands three storeys in height and has a two-storey turret projecting from the main block. 

It is said to have been built as a townhouse for Sir John Henderson of Fordell - whose main residence was Fordell Castle - who acquired the property in 1666.

By a grant of Queen Mary, the family held the office of hereditary provost and sheriff of Inverkeithing, although there is no evidence that this right was ever exercised.

Now, over 350 years later, the property has been turned into a stunning three-bedroom home that beautifully incorporates the old and the new.

Sam has been hard at work since December of last year and after months of labour, he has managed to turn a derelict building into a charming property. 

READ MORE: Historic Fordells Lodging put on the market

He continued: "I’m always all for showcasing the original features, there were a lot of features in there that I wanted to add but it just didn't really make sense at the time but it really shows what Historic Scotland says and I totally agree with, when you’re rejuvenating an old property, especially a listed property, if you can show the story of the property through the development - so showcasing the old features, like the coat of arms, right next to a brand new, modern kitchen - it shows how the property has changed over time rather than concealing the old to have basically a blanket newbuild property on the inside.

"It doesn’t have any character and I think when you showcase these old features it adds to the character of the property and just tells a bit of a story."

And Fordell's Lodging has retained a lot of charm throughout this process.

Sam has kept in original steel beams, exposed original brickwork, kept in original pillars from the stage, repurposed flooring and even had the original coat of arms of King Charles II, which was removed from above the fireplace on the first floor and inserted for preservation in the inner face of the north wall, restored - revealing the beautiful colouring that was hiding beneath.

He had the coat of arms restored, revealing the true beauty of the work. (Image: Sean Begley)

He did reveal that he somewhat struggled with the process, saying: "Something I really did struggle with was the design element of things, choosing the colours, choosing the style of the tiles, choosing the skirting boards.

"I’m very much an objective brain, I'm good with numbers, planning permission and people management but when it comes to the design and the more creative side of things, I do really struggle with that so I’ll let other people be the judge on how the colour palettes have all worked together rather than blowing my own trumpet."

While Sam was originally going to redo Fordell's Lodging for short-term lets, he has decided to sell it and move on to his next project.

It's now on the market for £365,000. 

He added: "We only put the property on the market on Saturday, but we have already had a lot of interest.

"There were two impromptu viewings over the weekend and we received an off-market offer prior to Saturday. We are expecting a quick sale with a closing date to be set within six weeks."