Logan Windmill
Windmill (17th Century)
Site Name Logan Windmill
Classification Windmill (17th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Kirkmaiden
Canmore ID 61146
Site Number NX14SW 5
NGR NX 11517 43786
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/61146
- Council Dumfries And Galloway
- Parish Kirkmaiden
- Former Region Dumfries And Galloway
- Former District Wigtown
- Former County Wigtownshire
NX14SW 5 11516 43792
(NX 1151 4378) Logan Windmill (NAT) (In Ruins)
OS 6" map (1957).
For (successor) Logan Mill (NX 116 436), see NX14SW 17.
Logan Windmill is a fine example of a vaulted tower windmill, which was built in the late 17th century, and is mentioned c. 1684. The tower situated on a natural mound, is about 25' (7.6m) high, internal diameter 10' (3m), on walls 3' (0.9m) thick. The doorway at ground level is 7' (2.1m) by 3' (0.9m). The vaulted chamber on the N side extends 30' (9.1m) from the base of the tower, and is 8' (2.4m) high by 11' (3.4m) wide. The whole structure is strongly built of whinstone rubble and boulders from the beach.
I Donnachie 1971.
As described; the crenellated top is modern.
Visited by OS (DWR) 25 January 1972.
(Location cited as NX 116 438). Logan Windmill, late 17th century. An interesting example of a vaulted-tower mill with a circular rubble tower, now crenellated, and a vaulted chamber projecting to the north. A relieving arch is built into the tower above the vault, which has collapsed at the junction.
J R Hume 1976.
This vaulted windmill, which stands on a low rise on the degraded cliffline 150m NNW of Logan Mills farmhouse has been reduced to a shell. Built shortly before 1684, it comprises a basement and two storeys to which a crenellated parapet has subsequently been added. The tower measures 7.9m in height and 2.8m in diameter within a wall 1.1m in thickness. Doorways are set at ground level, and on the N the basement opens into a barrel-vaulted chamber measuring 9.2m in length by 3.4m in breadth.
W Macfarlane 1906-8; I Donnachie 1971; G Douglas, M Oglethorpe and J R Hume 1984; RCAHMS 1985, visited July 1984.
Windmill
(remains of) [NAT]
OS (GIS) MasterMap, July 2009.
Windmill. Vaulted tower type. Circular tower. Rubble. Corbelled crenellated parapet with rubble merlons, added later. Doorway to E and W, partly blocked to W. Barrel vault to N, extending from basement of tower. Broad relieving arch to tower above vault, with remains of red brick (hand made) arch below. 2 rows of floor beam sockets inside.
Logan Windmill was a grain mill. In circa 1684, Symson mentioned that "the Laird of Logan hath lately built an excellent windmill" (quoted in Donnachie, pp 40-41). The tower is marked on the OS Map of 1847-48 as "Logan Windmill (in ruins)". A former meal mill, now gutted and used as a farm building, is located to the south-east; it was probably built to replace the windmill sometime in the late 18th century. (Historic Scotland)
Publication Account (1994)
"The country hereabouts, especially in the Summertime is very defective of mills, by reason that the little burns are then dried up; to supply which defect, the Laird of Logan (Patrick McDowel) has lately built an excellent windmill which is very useful, not only to his own lands, but to the whole country hereabouts...".
Symson (1684)
An unusual reference to reasons behind the construction of a Scottish windmill. See also MS/500/15/53.
Information from RCAHMS (Graham J Douglas), 12 April 1994.
