Montgarrie Mill View of lade as it approaches the mill. The lade bypass is in full use, taking water away from the waterwheel. At the time of survey, the water wheel was not in use because the chai ...

Description Montgarrie Mill View of lade as it approaches the mill. The lade bypass is in full use, taking water away from the waterwheel. At the time of survey, the water wheel was not in use because the chain drive connecting it with the mill machinery was requiring repair.

Date 20/5/1999

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number SC 743769

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of D 54521 CN

Scope and Content Lade and lade by-pass, Montgarrie Mills, Aberdeenshire Montgarrie Mills were built c.1886 on the site of a much older mill. The site comprises a three-storeyed block with a basement level, surmounted by a distinctive Aberdeenshire vent over the kiln area. This working mill includes a ten-arm wood and iron overshot mill-wheel driving five pairs of millstones to mill oatmeal. This shows the reinforced concrete lade on its concrete support, installed in 1947. This normally diverts water from the stream to the waterwheel. When the waterwheel is being repaired or is not in use the water is diverted via a side hatch along further concrete channels. The miller has always been a vital part of community life, and thus enjoyed many privileges. Farmers would bring grain and oats for milling from which the miller took his 'multure', a percentage of the grain as payment. This working watermill is now a rarity in Scotland, as most modern milling is now done in large automated roller mills (which are not powered by water). Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/743769

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap