Building record MAB20382 - MONTBLETTON WINDMILL

Farmstead and remains of windmill.

Farmstead and remains of windmill. The windmill dates to the late 18th - early 19th Century, and consists of a tapered tower, 5m high and 5.2m in diameter at the base, mounted on a 6.5m square base, 7m high. The masonry of the tower, base and adjoining buildings is all roughly squared and coursed whinstone. The tower had two floors, the first one being in line with the top of the base. At this level, which probably served as a reefing stage, there are two doors opposite each other set diagonally across the base. The top course of the tower is of dressed masonry, about 20cm deep, with a small circumferential groove about 10cm down from the top. On the south face of the windmill, shown on the 1st edition OS map of 1870, a dotted circle is shown (about 8m in diameter) which was probably a horse-engine. Also on the south face, in line with the centre line of the tower and the horse-engine, is a 50cm square hole 50cm above the ground. This may have been used for the drive shaft from the horse-engine. The tower is capped with a flat cover and now used as a barn. There is a similar windmill at Northfield farm (NJ86NW0013). The farmstead is depicted on the OS 1st edition map as a U-plan steading with open court to the south-southwest with a mill in the centre of the northern range inside the court. The house lies to the south and cottages to the north. By the time of the 2nd edition another range had been added to the middle of the court and there was a projecting structure on the exterior side of the north range. Today the court is now built over with another later building to the west.

DOUGLAS, G, 1984, SCOTTISH WINDMILLS - A SURVEY, p.24-25; ill p.36 38 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4037.

Aug 25 1978 , 27/7/11, 27/7/11 (Ground Photograph). SAB14486.

Aug 25 1978 , W 42, W 42 (Ground Photograph). SAB14487.

Record last edited

May 10 2021 3:04PM