Scar Steading: View of mill stones from SE. Digital image of D 3369

Description Scar Steading: View of mill stones from SE. Digital image of D 3369

Date 10/8/1996

Collection Scottish Farm Buildings Survey

Catalogue Number SC 738882

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of D 3369

Scope and Content Millstones from south-east, Scar Farm, Sanday, Orkney Islands Scar is a coastal farm on the island of Sanday in Orkney. Large, commercially productive farms such as this were created when agricultural improvement swept away old methods of subsistence farming. Improvement did not come to Orkney until the mid-19th century following the collapse of the kelp industry. This shows a group of old millstones with a large, modern, metal and concrete shed behind. The shed has a central feed passage for livestock. The millstones have come from the former grain mill and have been stood up on their sides in the ground. The four largest are 'bed' stones. The ancient but effective method of hand grinding grain between two large circular stones survived in Orkney until the 20th century. The bottom or 'bed' stone was fixed while the upper stone was rotated by hand, using a wooden handle. The operator fed the grain into a central hole with his other hand. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/738882

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap