Fingask Castle, Saw Mill

Single and 2-storey with loft, 7-bay, L-plan sawmill in Scots Renaissance style on two levels, with lower ground to E. Squared and snecked dark whinstone rubble with stugged, tooled pink sandstone ashlar dressings; long and short quoins; steeply-pitched, double-ridged pantiled roof with crowstepped gables; battered buttresses to gable ends. Arcaded and voussoired openings at ground and 1st floors; crowstepped double-gable with corbelled step to central loft hoist door with wrought iron scrolled brackets and decorative carving to N. Long 2-storey elevation to E with square windows at 1st floor level, wide round-arched 1st floor opening to S return. Wide, steel-linteled opening to W re-entrant angle. Adjoining pantile-coped and stepped wall forming upper level open court to W; stone forestair to lower level rising to arched opening in wall.

A rectangular plan sawmill is depicted on the OS map of 1862 and the revised map of 1898. The existing L-plan mill makes use of steel and concrete so is unlikely to contain built fabric from the older mill. There is conflicting evidence as to the name of the architect and the year it was built. It is said to have been commissioned by Sir James Henderson Stuart, who acquired the diminished Fingask estate in 1912. There is also the possibility the mill was built during Bruce Gilroy's series of improvements to the estate between 1917 and 1925. His architects, Mills and Shepherd, extensively refurbished the castle, demolishing most of the 19th century additions. The practice were well regarded at the time, superseding Lorimer as choice of architect on this occasion. (Historic Scotland)