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The Wemyss Ware® Cat Trail
About the trail
Kirkcaldy’s first public sculpture trail will take place during 2026 and transform the town with multiple pieces of large-scale public art on display. The Kirkcaldy Lottery is delighted to announce this landmark project and reveal the first two Wemyss Cats decorated by Griselda Hill from the Wemyss Ware® pottery which will be going on public display from today. Local artists and businesses are now being asked if they want to get involved. The Kirkcaldy Lottery is looking for local artists to decorate a set of cat sculptures in their unique style (this will be a paid commission). The project also needs local sponsors to help support the manufacturing costs of the sculptures and support our local artist community.
Each cat will stand over 1.7m tall and at least a dozen will form a unique sculpture trail spread over the Kirkcaldy area. Previous sculpture trails, like the Oor Wullie Bucket Trail in Dundee, have been extremely popular and we think Kirkcaldy’s cat trail will be a cultural landmark that will draw in visitors from across Fife and beyond. The cat sculptures are handmade from fibreglass with special weighted bases.
Wemyss Ware was first produced in Kirkcaldy by the Fife Pottery (located in Pottery Street) in 1882. Their pottery cat became an iconic shape and was decorated in many different patterns. Few original cats survive, and those that do fetch thousands of pounds. Wemyss Ware has many collectors including King Charles III and Elton John. You can see original Wemyss Ware in the Kirkcaldy Galleries and the Friends of Kirkcaldy Galleries have even adopted a Wemyss cat as their logo.
Wemyss Ware® was revived 40 years ago by the Griselda Hill Pottery in 1985 and they now own the trademark. So, it seemed fitting that Griselda Hill (based in Ceres, Fife) was asked to decorate the first two cats in traditional Wemyss Ware style to launch this project. Griselda Hill Pottery is the exclusive sponsor of these first two cats.
Local artists are now being sought to submit their designs for a cat sculpture, and for local businesses and individuals to consider sponsoring one of these cats. In late December we aim to match sponsors with the designs they like, and we will commission the chosen artists to decorate one cat each.
Design templates for artists and also details for sponsors can be requested from: info@adamsmithglobalfoundation.com.
Why Wemyss
Cat?
The Wemyss cat was chosen because of its Kirkcaldy heritage, it has a very recognisable shape, and it has large surfaces that can be easily decorated by artists. Edinburgh-based sculptor Andrea Porteous carved the oversized cat sculpture based on a somewhat smaller original cat produced in Kirkcaldy around ~1890 (which was borrowed from a local collector). Andrea is best known for her largescale work making film sets and props including for the Outlander series and Superman Returns. A mould was made from the sculpture and now multiple replica fibreglass cats are being manufactured in a workshop on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
The project has been in planning for many months and although it is by far the biggest and most costly Kirkcaldy Lottery project so far, it is expected to provide a great return for the town both socially and financially.
We expect the trail to attract many visitors to Kirkcaldy which will feed into local businesses too. At the end of the summer the plan is then to auction the cats with the proceeds going back into the Kirkcaldy Projects Fund that has already supported 14 projects in the Kirkcaldy area. We know that there are many Wemyss Ware collectors that would love something unique like this, and a successful outcome will mean we can go on to even more ambitious projects in the future. We hope we can find a way to keep at least one of the cats on permanent display somewhere in Kirkcaldy.
About
the Kirkcaldy Lottery
Launched in September 2024, the Kirkcaldy Lottery was created to support local projects, celebrate community spirit, and provide residents with a fun way to give back while having the chance to win prizes. The Kirkcaldy Lottery has delivered 14 projects in the first year with many more (including the Wemyss Ware Cat Trail) in progress or in planning. Over £100,000 of tickets have been sold and in excess of £60,000 has being invested back into the Kirkcaldy Projects Fund (the remaining income being used for prizes, lottery management and VAT). The lottery is managed by the Adam Smith Global Foundation with the assistance of an Advisory Board comprising representatives from several active third sector organisations in Kirkcaldy.