Scheduled Monument

New Abbey Corn Mill,mill,mill pond,lade,fish pond and curling pondSM90323

Status: Removed

Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

Summary

Date Added
21/10/1994
Date Removed:
01/06/2017
Local Authority
Dumfries And Galloway
Parish
New Abbey
NGR
NX 96100 66200
Coordinates
296100, 566200

Removal Reason

The national importance of the mill complex will continue to be appropriately recognised through its designation as a listed building at category A

Description

The monument consists of the corn mill at New Abbey and its water-works, the mill pond and lade, fed from Loch Kindar. In addition the fish ponds to the W of the mill, fed from the mill pond overflow, and a curling pond further S, also fed by the same system, are included.

New Abbey Mill is of the lowland type of water-powered grain mill that developed from the late 18th century across the S of Scotland. Such mills ground oatmeal, other types of grain, beans and pease for both human and animal consumption. New Abbey is a medium-sized mill which was built in the late 18th century, almost certainly replacing a monastic mill on the same spot. The "corn mill of Lochkindeloch" is noted in a deed dated 1559 and mention of the mill-lade frequently occurs in documents after 1578. A description of the village in 1590 in the Register of the Great Seal makes it clear that a mill stood in this position then. The present mill was built for Mr Stewart of Shambellie to serve local needs. At some time in the 19th century it was substantially altered, the original two-storeyed building being converted into three by inserting a loft.

The miller's house, drying kiln and mill unusually form an integrated structure. The water-wheel, of conventional construction with cast- iron rings and hubs and wooden axle, buckets and spokes, unusually has nine spokes rather than eight or ten. The wheel is of the pitchback type, that is, the wheel turns towards the flow of water. Water is drawn from Loch Kinder down the lade into the mill pond then along a timber trough, or launder, and thus to the wheel. Within the mill the loft was used for storage and to feed the hoppers which led the grain to the stones floor. The stones floor has three pairs of grinding stones and a shaking seive. The ground floor houses the machinery which transmits power from the water supply to the grinding machinery above, together with ancillary processing machinery. The kiln contains a floor of perforated cast-iron plates supported on wrought-iron bearers above a brick funnel. It has roof trusses of steel and a ventilator which is circular in section and has a conical top surmounted by a fish weather-vane.

The mill lade, or Sheep Burn, runs almost one and a half kilometres from Loch Kindar. It fed the mill pond and, when the mill pond was full, flowed over into the fish pond which lies adjacent to the New Abbey Pow (river). These features probably all have monastic origins. The curling pond near to the loch is probably a 19th century feature.

The area to be scheduled is irregular on plan, to include all of the above elements (the mill, the kiln, the miller's house, the area around the mill used by the miller as garden ground and the associated water system comprising the mill lade, mill pond, fish ponds and curling pond). It is irregular on plan, a maximum of 140m E-W by 160m N-S plus a strip along the lade, 1460m long by 4m wide, and a further area 250m E-W by 100m N-S around the curling pond, which lies some 1000m SSE by S from the mill. The area is shown in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because it is a fine example of a medium sized lowland water mill, with its machinery intact. Such mills were once very common in the life of rural Scotland but are now rare. In addition, the monument has the potential to provide information on the mechanisms of corn milling, and on the vital place mills in agricultural and rural social life from the monastic period to the twentieth century.

References

Bibliography

No Bibliography entries for this designation

Historic Environment Scotland Properties

New Abbey Corn Mill

https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/new-abbey-corn-mill

Find out more

Related Designations

  1. Sweetheart Abbey, abbey, precinct and wallsSM90293

    Designation Type
    Scheduled Monument
    Status
    Designated
  2. New Abbey Corn Mill, including mill building, mill pond with dam, fish pond, lades including lade from Loch Kindar to mill pond, channels into New Abbey Pow river, sluices, and excluding car park to west of corn mill and disused curling pond to west of Loch Kindar lade, New AbbeyLB17323

    Designation Type
    Listed Building (A)
    Status
    Designated

Canmore

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

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Printed: 28/03/2024 15:49