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Summary

Description

A stone, rubble-built windmill tower dating to around the late 18^th century with early 19^th century top stage in brick with crenelated parapet. The site is located to the east of Albert Street, Fraserburgh, surrounded by traditional stone-built and modern steel warehouses.

The cylindrical tower of the windmill, measures 17.5 meters in height and 5 meters in dimeter. The base is constructed in whinstone, sandstone and granite and comprises two sections. The lower section is speckled rubble and harled and the upper, measuring 1.8 meters has squared and coursed whinstone and red sandstone.

The crenelated top stage of 1.7 meters was added in the early 19^th century and is made of red brick.

A circular hole is present on the northwest face of the top section and there is a small rectangular opening on the west face. Some areas of stonework have been infilled with brick.

The walls of an earlier 20^th century warehouse stand against the southeast corner of the tower. The warehouse was redeveloped from a mid-19^th century sawmill structure and likely incorporates fabric from the earlier sawmill.

Historical background

The windmill dates to around the late 18^th century and its original function remains unknown. The windmill tower was redeveloped in the early 19^th century with the addition of the crenelated top.

The tower was later incorporated within a mid-19^th century sawmill structure and used to power it (Scottish windmills: a survey). The Plan of Fraserburgh: detail from Admiralty chart 1439, (surveyed 1858, published 1859) shows the sawmill and the windmill labelled as 'windmill remains' appears on the first edition Ordnance Survey map (surveyed 1869, published 1874) within the sawmill complex including a wood yard at the south.

By the time of the second edition Ordnance Survey map (revised 1901, published 1902) the windmill appears to have been incorporated into an extended sawmill structure located between the newly created Charlotte Steet and Albert Street.

Charlotte Steet was laid out in 1870 and Albert Street, named originally Windmill Street, was created in 1896 (Buildings of Scotland).

In the earlier 20^th century, the sawmill was incorporated into a larger rectangular structure which enclosed the windmill within its walls, on the second edition Ordnance Survey map (revised 1925, published 1926) it is shown flanked by warehouses at west and southwest facing Albert Street.

In an historic photograph dating to before 1900 (britishlistedbuildings.co.uk), Fraserburgh windmill is shown complete with its sails and comprised a white harled circular stone tower and a windcap with sails and a fantail. A small rectangular opening is visible at the bottom, facing the adjacent stone warehouse. The cap and sails of the windmill are likely to have been lost in the early to mid-20^th century.

According to the Scottish windmills: a survey (1984), the windmill was later converted for fish curing. The remains of a fire box on the north face of the tower at ground level dating back to when the tower was used for fish curing were noted and the survey also notes that during Second World War the tower was used as a lookout.

Statement of Special Interest

This building meets the criteria for listing for the following reasons:

• The windmill retains a substantial amount of early fabric and retains its tower form, characteristic of its 18^th century date.
• The early 19^th century brick crenelated top also survives adding to the building's interest and illustrates an early adaptive reuse.
• It is an important early survivor of a rare building type.
• The structure is of special social historical interest as an important reminder of the early mechanisation of agricultural practice in Scotland.

Architectural interest

Dating to the 18^th century, Fraserburgh windmill is an early surviving example of a tower mill which is characterised by massive stonework in the form of a large tower and usually had several floors and a supporting a windcap with a fantail of four or more sails (now lost here). Towards the later 18^th century and into the 19^th cast-iron machinery was introduced into tower mills replacing the wooden machinery resulting in their automatization.

The windcap and sails along with the internal machinery at Fraserburgh have been lost. However, the main structure of stone tower survives largely unaltered. The early 19^th century brick crenelated top, likely added during the use of the tower to power the sawmill, illustrates its changing industrial use during the 19^th century. These later alterations have not adversely affected the design interest of the building.

The 18^th century windmill was surrounded by open land and during the early to mid-19^th century it was incorporated within a sawmill complex set slightly to the west of the town. The wider historic setting of the mill has been altered as Fraserburgh has expanded from the mid-19^th century onwards.

Fraserburgh windmill tower is located between Albert Street and Charlotte Street which were created in the late 19^th century, and it is currently surrounded by stone-built and steel warehouses which reflect the industrial character of the area. The immediate setting is largely unaltered and still retains its mid to later-19^th century industrial character.

Historic interest

Fraserburgh windmill, dating from around the late 18^th century, is a rare and early surviving example of its building type.

In Scotland windmills developed later than the rest of Britain and were in use for a relatively short period of time. Influenced by precedents in England and Holland, windmills were first introduced to Scotland around the 15^th century and became prevalent from the mid-late 17^th century with a peak building phase in the late 18^th century. With the industrial revolution and the invention of the steam engine in the 19^th century windmills quickly fell into disuse. (Scottish Windmills, p.277).

There are around 90-100 surviving windmills in Scotland (Scottish Windmills, p.299) of which around 50 are designated as listed buildings or Scheduled Monuments. Comparable surviving examples in the region which are also listed include Hilton Windmill (Category B, LB9109), Montbletton Farm, Windmill Stump (Category B, LB10581), Northfield Farm, Windmill Stump (Category B, LB10582) and Windmill Tower, Glenugie Distillery Invernettie (Category B, LB16363).

The structure is of special social historical interest as an important reminder of the early mechanisation of agricultural practice in Scotland.

The supplementary information in the listed building record was updated in 2024.

References

Bibliography

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