Benholm Mill facts for kids
Benholm Mill is a special old watermill located in Kincardineshire, Scotland. It's a place where grain was once ground into flour and meal using the power of water! This mill is near Johnshaven, about 13 miles south of Stonehaven.
It sits in beautiful ancient woodlands. The mill is also in the area known as Sunset Song country. This place was made famous by local author Lewis Grassic Gibbon. Benholm Mill even appeared in the TV show based on his famous novel! It is a very important historical building, called a Category A listed building. The mill is owned by Aberdeenshire Council.
History of Benholm Mill
Benholm Mill is the only old water-powered mill left in this part of Aberdeenshire. For many hundreds of years, mills like this were super important. They provided the main food items for people living in the countryside.
At its busiest, Benholm Mill made lots of oatmeal. It also produced bruised oats and hashed oats. These products were sent to many towns and villages. They went from Montrose in the south to Barras and Catterline in the north. They also went inland to Laurencekirk and Fordoun.
Benholm Mill Today
The mill building was used for some work until 1982. Then, starting in 1986, it was slowly fixed up. Today, it looks just like it used to! Some parts of the mill are from the 1700s. But records show that milling has been happening here since the 1200s!
Other buildings at the mill are mostly from the Victorian era. The whole place is now a visitor center. You can explore the mill, see the mill dam, and walk through the woodlands. There's even a miller's croft, which was the miller's home.
Today, Benholm is a small village. It has a church, the mill visitor center with a cafe, and some houses. The Mill of Benholm Trust used to work with Aberdeenshire Council. They helped adults with special needs get work experience. This included jobs in cooking, gardening, fixing furniture, and working in the shop or office. In April 2014, the mill had to close for a while due to safety reasons.
