1700–1799
Eighteenth-century tower windmill built
Fraserburgh windmill was built in the eighteenth century as a tower mill.
Site overview
Fraserburgh, Gray's Timber Yard, Windmill Stump is a former tower mill between Albert Street, Mid Street and Charlotte Street. Trove records the site as an eighteenth-century windmill. Historic Environment Scotland describes it as an early surviving example of a Scottish tower mill, later converted for fish-curing and used during the Second World War as a lookout.
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
Fraserburgh, Gray's Timber Yard, Windmill Stump is a former windmill tower at Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire. Trove records the site as an eighteenth-century windmill at NJ 99389 66876, also known by the surrounding streets Albert Street, Mid Street and Charlotte Street. Historic Environment Scotland records the listed building as Windmill Tower within Gray's Timber Yard, Albert Street, Mid Street and Charlotte Street.
The windmill dates from the eighteenth century and was a tower mill of white-harled circular stone form with a windcap, sails and fantail, shown complete in a historic photograph dating to before 1900. The cap, sails and internal machinery have been lost, but the main stone tower survives. The tower was later converted for fish-curing, and remains of a fire box survive from that use.
During the Second World War the tower was used as a lookout. The building was listed on 16 April 1971. No detailed ownership sequence, milling machinery inventory, or final windmill working date has been established from the sources checked.
Timeline
1869
Windmill recorded by Ordnance Survey
The Fraserburgh windmill site was recorded on the first edition Ordnance Survey mapping surveyed in 1869.
1900–1945
Converted and later reused
The former windmill tower was later converted for fish-curing and was used during the Second World War as a lookout.
1971
Listed building designation
The windmill tower within Gray's Timber Yard was listed on 16 April 1971.
Sources and records
Historic Environment Scotland listed building record; Trove / Canmore place record; Scottish Windmills: A Survey; Hume industrial archaeology reference