Publication Account
Date 1995
Event ID 1016693
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Publication Account
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1016693
There are two mills here, and they have a somewhat complex history of reuse. The first known mill on the site was built in 1750 where the large mill stands today. The smaller mill was built beside it in 1846, and shared the same mill-Iade. The new mill was then used as a grain mill and the old mill as a threshing mill. However in 1901 the old mill was completely rebuilt and the positions reversed; the new larger mill became the grain mill once again while the smaller building was converted for threshing. It has not been used for many years. The grain mill, however, is one of the very few waterpowered grain mills still working in Scotland, and mostly produces barley meal.
Of the older building, the lower block is the 1846 mill, while the two-storey block nearer the road is a store. The grain mill is a three-storey, L-plan building. The enclosed, overshot water wheel is made of wood and iron, and the mill lade derives from the Burn of Ouncansby some way upstream.The external sack hoist can be seen projecting from an upper storey. There is a large kiln for drying grain before grinding, with two tall square ventilators which look somewhat like chimneys. The kiln floor is made of cast-iron perforated plates that let the heat through to the grain. There are three pairs of millstones, for shelling, grinding barley, and grinding oatmeal. An interesting feature of the mill is that the grain husks were used as fuel in the kiln, an arrangement also found at Achingale Mill (NO 240534).
An unusual amount is known of the history of this mill. The 1901 mill was designed by William Campbell Houston, nephew of the miller, then studying engineering at Glasgow University. He and his uncle travelled round Caithness looking at other mills to incorporate the most up-to-date ideas in their own design.
Beside the mill is the remains of an old rubble arched bridge traditionally dated to the 17th century; this leads now to the single-storey, early 19th-century Mill Cottage, used by mill employees. The miller, still a member of the Houston family, lives in Mill House across the road.
Information from ‘Exploring Scotland’s Heritage: The Highlands’, (1995).
