Barry Mill facts for kids
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| Former name | Owned by Balmerino Abbey in Fife |
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| Established | 1539 |
| Type | Watermill |
Barry Mill is an old watermill in Barry, Angus, in eastern Scotland. It's a special building, listed as 'Category A', which means it's very important historically. The National Trust for Scotland owns and runs it. They use it to teach people about how mills used to work.
The mill is in a quiet spot next to the Barry Burn, a small river that gives the mill its power. It's about half a mile north of Barry village, close to the town of Carnoustie. The mill building has three floors: a basement (called the meal floor), a milling floor, and a top floor (called the bin floor). There have been mills on this spot since at least 1539. Barry Mill worked as a business until 1984. After that, it was fixed up and has been run by the National Trust since 1992. In 2009, it almost closed, but local people helped keep it open by raising money.
How Barry Mill Works
When Barry Mill is running, it turns oats into oatmeal. Oatmeal used to be a very common food in Scotland. In the past, farmers brought sacks of oats to the mill. These oats had already been threshed, which means the grains were separated from the stalks. You can even see an old threshing machine at the mill today.
The oats were then dried in a special oven called a kiln, which used peat as fuel. After drying, the oats slid down a chute to the basement. There, they were collected in sacks again. Nowadays, the oats arrive already processed, but the rest of the milling process is still done the old-fashioned way.
The oats are lifted to the top floor, called the bin floor. From there, they are poured into a large container called a hopper. This hopper feeds the oats to one of the mill's two pairs of millstones. These first millstones are made of sandstone and they remove the outer shell from the grain. The shelled oats, called "groats," then go down to the basement. A fan separates the groats from the husks.
Next, the groats are lifted back to the top floor. They then go through the second pair of millstones, which are made of a special French stone. These stones grind the groats into oatmeal. The oatmeal then falls to the basement, ready to be put into bags.
The mill gets its power from the Barry Burn. There's a working dam and a channel, called a lade, about half a mile upstream. This lade brings water to the mill wheel. The mill wheel is very big, about 15 feet (4.7 meters) across. Water from the lade drops onto the top of the wheel, making it turn.
Inside the mill's basement, a system of levers, cogs, and gears controls the power. These parts make sure power goes to the millstones, the hoists that lift the oats, and the fan that separates the groats from the husks.
The History of Barry Mill
People first wrote about a mill being on this spot in 1539. Long ago, there were actually two mills on the Barry Burn. Both were owned by a place called Balmerino Abbey in Fife. One was a corn mill, called "the Nether Mill," and the other was an oat mill, called "the Over Mill."
In 1587, the Scottish king took over the abbey's lands. In 1605, these lands were given to James Elphinstone, 1st Lord Balmerino. Later, in the late 1600s, the mills were sold to Robert Watson. His son-in-law, Robert Gardyne, took them over in the 1680s.
The Nether Mill stopped grinding grain and its building, which was built in 1783, is now used for storage. In 1814, the Over Mill, which became known simply as "Barry Mill," was destroyed by a fire. The mill building you see today was built after that fire by the owner, Thomas Gardyne.
The Gunn family bought the mill in 1926. It was made bigger in the 1930s. Barry Mill kept making oatmeal until the late 1970s. After that, it only made food for animals. In 1984, floods damaged the water channel, and the mill stopped working for good.
The National Trust for Scotland bought the mill in 1988. They spent four years fixing it up to look just like it did in 1814. It reopened in 1992 and now shows people how milling used to be done. You can often see demonstrations on weekends, or by arranging a visit. The old stables have been turned into a visitor center. The mill also has displays about the lives of the mill and the people who worked there.
In 1971, the mill and a nearby bridge were given 'Category B' listed status. This means they are important historic buildings. The Nether Mill building received 'Category C' listing in 1980. Barry Mill was upgraded to 'Category A' listing in December 2009, showing its high historical importance.
Saving Barry Mill
In 2009, Barry Mill was not getting many visitors, only about 2,000 a year. The National Trust for Scotland was having money problems. They said Barry Mill was one of 11 places that might have to close unless they found outside help. The plan was to close the mill until they had more money.
However, on March 25, 2009, people held a public meeting. They formed a group called "Friends of Barry Mill" to raise money and fight to save the mill. In July 2009, the Trust announced that Barry Mill would stay open. This was possible because Angus Council and a group called the Gibson Graham Charitable Trust promised to help with funding.
Images for kids
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Barry Mill
