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Waterton, Bone Mill

Bone Mill (19th Century), Dock (Period Unassigned), Quay (Period Unassigned), Warehouse (Period Unassigned)

Site Name Waterton, Bone Mill

Classification Bone Mill (19th Century), Dock (Period Unassigned), Quay (Period Unassigned), Warehouse (Period Unassigned)

Alternative Name(s) Waterside, Meadow Of Waterton; River Ythan

Canmore ID 20506

Site Number NJ93SE 41

NGR NJ 971 302

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/20506

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Administrative Areas

  • Council Aberdeenshire
  • Parish Ellon
  • Former Region Grampian
  • Former District Gordon
  • Former County Aberdeenshire

Recording Your Heritage Online

Waterton, early 19th century. Bone mill, warehouses and quay dominated by two-storey, seven-bay store with outside stone stair and arched entry. Waterton was the end of navigation from Newburgh and saw the comings and goings of the coastal trade, including coal lighters; it closed c.1920.

Taken from "Aberdeenshire: Donside and Strathbogie - An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Ian Shepherd, 2006. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk

Archaeology Notes

NJ93SE 41 971 302

(Location cited as NJ 971 303). Bone mill, warehouses and quay, Waterton. Early 19th century. A somewhat altered group of 1- and 2-storey rubble buildings, the most impressive of which is a 2-storey, 3- by 7-bay store, with external stone stair, and elliptical-arched cart entry. Now in part an egg-packing station. To the rear are overgrown quays and a small dock on the River Ythan, marking the end of the navigation from Newburgh, closed c. 1920.

J R Hume 1977.

This site, in itself insignificant, is interesting on account of its connexion with a stretch of inland waterway, such as occurs only rarely in Scotland. The geological structure of the country as a whole naturally rules out inland navigation except in the lower reaches of the Tay, Forth and Clyde, but the Ythan gave convenient access by water to the riverside parishes for a distance of about 6 miles (9.7 km) from Newburgh bar. Of the communities so served, the most important was certainly Ellon (NJ93SE 42), which is situated just above the head of navigation, being reached only occasionally by the highest tides; Waterton may well have acted as its 'port'. An arrangement of this kind would account for the markin of Waterton on Blaeu's map, which is otherwise rather surprising. Blaeu no doubt reflects the conditions of the earlier 17th century and Roy marks 'Waterside' in a corresponding position.

In 1792 it was recorded that boats could come, at high tide, to 'very near Ellon, and at ordinary tides within half a mile of it'; and in 1845 coal, lime etc. was delivered in flat-bottomed lighters to 'the meadow of Waterton, about a quarter of a mile below Ellon'. The site to which this note relates was remembered personally by an old inhabitant, recently deceased, as a terminal for boats from the sea. Today it shows remains of a recent but neglected landing-place with industrial buildings and stores, some of which were still in use in 1973. One of the latter, which was ruinous, must originally have measures some 220 ft (60.9m) in length, and bore a significant resemblance to the quayside warehouse at Newburgh (NK02NW 20).

A Graham 1979, visited 1973.

J Blaeu 1654; W Roy 1747-55; Statistical Account (OSA); New Statistical Account (NSA).

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