MILLS OF LUING

 
Single storey with attic, rectangular-plan former corn mill built into hillside with wheel in place to NE; roofless addition at rear forming near L-plan; remains of wall to N. Predominantly whinstone rubble (harled in part); rubble sandstone quoins in part to later wing. Glazing missing. Corrugated-iron roof to principal block (missing in part).

INTERIOR: principal block with rubble walls; open timber ceiling with tie beams. Milling machinery in place to NE comprising timber-framed support with 2 pairs of stones (50in diameter), various cogs and wheels. Remains of metal roof supports in later addition.

A good example of a relatively rare building type, notable for the retention of its all-iron overshot wheel and the milling machinery. Hume notes that the construction of the wheel is unusual - there being 3 flat and 3 rod spokes on each side, with 6 cross-bracing spokes. Virtually all of the sheet-iron buckets have disappeared. Lade in place 1999. (ref: Historic Scotland)

Building Dates:

 Early-Mid 19th century

Architects: Unknown

        Ballycastle farm (North Ardinamir)
Gin may be derived from Jenny a female donkey = Jen = Gin. a mill powered by a donkey or horse.

This one at Ballycastle latterly powered a winnowing machine, but may have powered other machines at some time.

Could this be the machine (see below) referred to by Alex Campbell the Covenanter who was so abhorrent of  "fanners of corn who make use of artificial draughts".

Ballycastle like many other places on Luing whose name has changed, originally it was North Ardinamir.

In Ancient China the method was improved by mechanisation with the development of the rotary winnowing fan, which used a cranked fan to produce the airstream. This was featured in Wang Zhen's book the Nong Shu  of 1313 AD.             

  

Blackmill Bay                                                        

Sometime known as Mill Bay. The mill would have acquired the tag 'Black' from the type of grain it processed.Black oats were the main cereal crops until the early 20th century.

This would be a waterwheel  of a small scale and possibly a clack mill.

 On close inspection some evidence still remains of the structure.

This type of mill is known as a 'Clack mill or Norse mill'.

Rotary Quern

A hand mill would be commonplace on Luing Farmsteads. The were used in pairs, the lower stone being stationary was called the quern and the upper stone, the rotating stone, was called the hand stone.

The stone below is the the hand stone and is one of several collected by a former Luing resident a Miss Willison pre 1950,s.

Stones in use

The long gone mill at The Square. Kilchatten.
This was an overshot type and latterly became a saw mill.

Remains of a probable mill lay on the Ardinamir road just where
the burn runs parallel with the road.
The water catchment area was the broad boggy ground to the west of this.

Evidence of another Gin Mill at Bardrishaig