1860–1869
Windmill adopted on South Havra
A windmill was adopted on South Havra in the 1860s because the island had no running streams suitable for powering a watermill.
Site overview
South Havra Windmill stood on South Havra, an island in the Scalloway Islands of Shetland. The island had no running streams suitable for water power, and the windmill was used as an attempted local power source for grinding corn. Windmill World describes the mill as a horizontal mill adopted in the 1860s, although it was not very successful.
Map
Map markers and directions links are provided for location reference only and do not indicate public access or permission to enter a site.
No site photograph is currently available. Images will be added as field visits are carried out.
History
South Havra Windmill was a former windmill on South Havra in Shetland. Trove records South Havra as a windmill site, and Windmill World records South Havera, also known as South Havra, as a Scottish windmill. The island was once occupied by several families and lacked running streams suitable for powering a watermill.
A windmill was therefore adopted in the 1860s as a local solution for grinding corn, although Windmill World records that it was not very successful. The island was later abandoned in 1923. The windmill survives as a ruined shell, but no detailed machinery description, ownership sequence, or final working date has been established from the sources checked.
Timeline
1923
South Havra abandoned
South Havra was abandoned in 1923, after which the former windmill remained as a ruin on the island.
Sources and records
Trove / Canmore place record; Windmill World site entry; Shetland local history article