The Norse Mill and Kiln Shawbost Isle of Lewis Outer Hebrides, Western Isles, Scotland. SCO 7012
The Norse Mill and Kiln is only accessible by foot. There is a small car parking area at the side of the A858, which is the main coastal road that runs along the top northern coast of the island. This car parking area is adjacent to Loch Roinavat and is in a very tranquil setting but the mill and kiln are not actually visible from here. A good quality footpath constructed in 2003 leads to these two ancient buildings. It's about a quarter of a mile walk from the car park and they don't come into view until you are right upon them. Both the mill and the kiln here were in operation until the late 1930's. The mill was powered by the Allt nam Breac (which literally means "trout stream"), which is a small river that flows out of Loch Roinavat. The two buildings are constructed from local stone and have traditional thatched roofs. There are houses and other buildings similar in design to this all over Lewis and Harris but if you haven't come across this style of building before then it will come as quite a surprise. The Norse Mill and Kiln provides an insight into the unique way of life of the people that live here and would have been used to grind barley grain into meal. There were once over 200 of these types of mill all over Lewis and the last of these ceased operating in 1945. The design of these mills date back to the Vikings, hence their name, but this particular example was probably built around 1800. This particular mill is still in full working order and was brought back to life briefly in the 1990's by the local schoolchildren from Shawbost School as part of a school project.
Size: 3732px × 5619px
Location: Norse Mill, Siabost, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Western Isles, Highlands and Islands. Scotland.
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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