Shawbost Mill
The shawbost (gaelic Siabost ) and the kiln , are 400 meters from the A 858 on the west side of the Hebrides Lewis in Scotland . A path that was expanded in 2003 leads from the road into a small valley to two traditionally built, thatched stone buildings. On Lewis there were once more than 200 of the small water-powered horizontal mills also known as Norse Mill (or Click Mill , on Shetland Clack Mill ) .
Mill
The type of mill is called "Norse Mill" (Norseman = Norman), which indicates that it came to Scotland from Scandinavia . However, similar mills were found in Ireland from the 6th century, long before the Norman era. Either this indication of the origin has been passed down incorrectly or the Normans have further developed the type of mill, which could originally come from China.
The mills were very widespread and part of the everyday life of the residents, who had to be self-sufficient. Since the mills were easy to build, they were often built by agricultural cooperatives themselves. The mill employed a miller who received a certain percentage of the delivered grain as payment. The tradition largely came to an end around 1930. But even today mills are still in operation, for example in Garrabost, Point, Dell and Ness, Stornoway, Gress or Breasclete.
The Shawbost Mill is locally called the "Mill of the Blacksmiths" because the brothers and sisters built it. In 1968/69 it was rebuilt / restored as a lower school project work. The renovation was carried out by students under the guidance of teacher Charles Macleaod after information from villagers and a former boy in the mill. Another renovation took place in the early to mid-1990s.
This type of horizontal mill is interesting, although much of its equipment is hidden in a chamber under the floor. Water from the nearby stream was dammed up in a pond in front of the mill. From there it flowed through a channel to a mill wheel that turned the upper of the two millstones. The stone always turned clockwise. The upper stone could be changed in height. This was used to determine the degree of fineness of the grist. The flour gathered around the lower millstone in a grinder made of hewn stones.
On the Shetlands there are replicas (Croft house museum) and ruins (Huxter Mills).
Kiln
The building next to the mill is the kiln . One half of the inner surface consists of a raised stone platform, inside which there is a round stone-clad pit.
The kiln was used to dry the grain before grinding. To do this, a fire was lit in front of the opening of the stone Darr shaft. The heat then flowed through the shaft into the central area with the Darr pit. The pit was covered with wood and straw on which the grain lay. The warm smoke dried the grain in about 48 hours. Since the kiln was very dry, there was a risk of fire. Therefore there was a stone cross in the shaft to prevent sparks flying in the direction of the straw, but this did not always work. Therefore, the kilns were not always built right next to the mill.
Not far from the Shawbost is Broch of Carloway and the Iron Age House of Bostadh and Blackhouses more of Arnol historical reconstructions.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ On-site folder of the "Norse Mill Society"
Coordinates: 58 ° 19 ′ 7.5 ″ N , 6 ° 42 ′ 27.3 ″ W.