Building record MAB27167 - LITTLEMILL AND MILL OF ESSLEMONT

Mill and steading, still in use, with the B-listed mill built in the early to mid 19th century, depicted on the OS historic maps as Littlemill of Esslemont.

Mill and steading, still in use, with the B-listed mill built in the early to mid 19th century, depicted on the OS historic maps as Littlemill of Esslemont. It is shown on the 1st edition OS map as a rectangular-plan building depicted as a corn mill. There is an L-plan building across the road to the north, three buildings to the south and an L-plan steading and rectangular-plan building to the west. A mill lade feeds a pond to the south of the mill, with the lade running past the mill building and re-joining the river to the north. On the 2nd edition OS map the mill building has been extended to L-plan and a T-plan building added to the southeast. The steading has been extended, incorporating the rectangular-plan building to form a quadrangular steading. The section of mill lade between the pond and mill is depicted as an aqueduct. Current OS maps show the building to the north and one of the buildings to the south have been removed. The remaining buildings have various additions and alterations. The B-listed mill a three-storey, four-window building with a kiln at right angles, and is constructed from coursed granite rubble that is harl-pointed. The internal structure of the kiln is brick with a slatted vent, and there is a cast-iron framed 4.3 metres (14 feet) over-shot wheel. A Level 1 Standing Building Survey was carried out in June 2021 by Cameron Archaeology prior to proposed redevelopment at the Littlemill Of Esslemont. Six main phases of building development were recorded. Prior to the 1st edition map the buildings consisted of an L-plan range in the north and west and a stand alone building in the southeast, of which parts of all these buildings survive (although some are inaccessible). Phase 2 (prior to the 2nd edition map) consisted of a U-plan steading with the courtyard open at the south, created using the existing buildings. In Phase 3, probably in the late 19th century, a bothy and workshop were added in stone in the southwest. Phases 4-6 were later from the mid 20th century, when a concrete structure was built in the northwest using one of the walls of the Phase 1 west range. At this time the west end of the north range was demolished to allow access into the courtyard from the north. Later tanks were built to the east and a Dutch barn added at the east side of the courtyard. The eastern buildings appears to have been used mainly used to process and store grain and has been associated with the Mill of Esslemont just to the southeast on the opposite side of the Bronie Burn. The western buildings have been in domestic, workshop and animal usage.

Period Notes
Listed 16/04/1971. Built 19th century.

Hume, JR, 1977, Industrial Archaeology of Scotland, 96-7 (Bibliographic reference). SAB730.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2021, LAND AT LITTLE MILL OF ESSLEMONT, ESSLEMONT, ELLON, AB41 8PD: REPORT ON LEVEL 1 STANDING BUILDING SURVEY, SBS (Bibliographic reference). SAB8246.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2022, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, NEW SERIES, VOLUME 22 (2021), p.14 (Bibliographic reference). SAB8314.

SDD, n.d., BLDS OF ARCH & HIST INTEREST, ELLON 12 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1827.

Record last edited

Jul 10 2023 10:52AM