ALMOST five years after it closed, Abbot House will re-open again on Tuesday, August 18, as part of a £530,000 redevelopment.

Initially, it will just be the gift shop that's able to welcome customers with lockdown delaying other areas of the historic building's refurbishment, including the cafe, welcome hub and artisan workshop.

The much-loved Dunfermline attraction, a category A townhouse that dates back to the 16th century, was operating as a heritage centre when it closed in August 2015 due to financial problems.

A new group, Abbot House (SCIO), has taken it over and operations manager Louise Hutchison said: "We are very proud of our beautiful gift shop and absolutely can’t wait to open the doors to our local community and visitors.

"It has been a long time in the planning and is amazing to see it all come together.

"We’re supporting as many local businesses as we can in this venture and will be showing off some of our most talented local and Scottish makers."

The pandemic has put paid to plans for a big relaunch, instead there will be a 'soft' opening of Abbot House.

Trustee Lynn Gemmell explained: "The safety of our staff and customers is of utmost importance, which means we will now open in a safe and steady way, as opposed to the grand celebratory event that we had originally planned.

"It will still be a real day to remember and a significant turning point in the re-opening of the house."

Following the opening of the shop, the renovation of the ground-floor café area will continue but the cafe is unlikely to open until 2021 as the impact of lockdown "has resulted in inevitable delays until the new year".

Ambitious redevelopment plans were scaled back even before the pandemic – the proposed fine dining restaurant was shelved and the artisan bakery was ruled out as "too expensive and too risky" – but there will still be plenty to enjoy.

Self-taught Dunfermline chocolatier Gwen McQueen, and her Heavenly Goodies business, will be supplying sweet treats in the 'pink hoose'.

In addition to the cafe and beautifully-tended gardens, there will be a welcome hub to provide visitors with the story of Abbot House and guides to other attractions in the town.

Classes and events will beheld in the artisan workshop, situated in the former brew house, while a new Go Escape challenge in the War Room will aim to attract younger visitors.

The plans also include the upgrade of the existing toilet block. Building work on the toilets and workshop have started again and they will open "as soon as is feasible and subject to social distancing guidelines".