Description

The monument consists of a roofless horizontal water-powered grain mill together with its water-supply arrangements.

The small mill, which is built of granite blocks, is situated in the steep-sided valley of a stream which falls from Mill Loch into the N end of Town Loch. It is of typical "Norse" form, with provision for water-supply in the form of a stone-lined channel leading from a sluice on the stream towards the under-story of the mill building, where remains of the horizontal paddle-wheel can be seen. On the working floor of the mill, the last pair of small grinding stones remain, but the wooden fittings have decayed, as has the roof, once of thatch. The walls of the mill building stand to their full height. Evidence of relative recent use of this mill is present in the form of two concrete lintels, probably associated with a late repair of the building not long before it fell into disuse.

The area to be scheduled is an irregular triangle, bounded on the S by the stream and on the N by the upper edge of the steep slope in which the stream runs. It measures a maximum of 40m WNW-ESE by 20m, to include the mill, its water channel and sluice, and an area around in which evidence relating to its construction, modification and use may survive, as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as a well-preserved example of a typical small 'Norse' mill which is known to have been in use until much more recently than most, and which displays clearly the layout of such mills and their water supply. It has the potential to provide information about small-scale grain processing, in the context of recent crofting but with a pedigree stretching back several hundred years.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as HU 36 NW 22.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland