1772
St Philips saltworks constructed
The St Philips saltworks at St Monans were constructed in 1772, including the wind-engine tower used in the salt-making process.
Site overview
St Monans Windmill And Saltpans formed part of the St Philips saltworks, constructed on the St Monans shore in 1772. The wind-engine tower pumped sea water uphill for the salt-making process, while coal was brought to the pans from nearby workings.
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
St Monans Windmill And Saltpans is an eighteenth-century industrial complex on the coast east of St Monans in Fife. The St Philips saltworks were constructed in 1772 and remained operational into the 1820s. The wind-engine tower is circular, slightly tapered, built of rubble and sandstone, and stands on a raised shoreline above the remains of the panhouses.
It was used to pump sea water uphill through a rock-cut channel so that brine could feed the salt pans by gravity. The saltworks included panhouses, a wagonway connection for coal supply, rock-cut channels, reservoir features and foreshore remains. The wind-engine tower was reconstructed in the early 1990s, with reroofing, replacement wind-engine features, a stair and viewing platform.
The monument was first scheduled on 28 September 1993 and the scheduled area was amended on 22 July 2011. No original wind machinery survives in working condition.
Timeline
1772–1829
Saltworks in operation
The St Monans saltworks remained operational from the late eighteenth century into the 1820s.
1992
Wind-engine tower reconstructed
The wind-engine tower was reconstructed, reroofed and provided with replacement wind-engine features, a stair and viewing platform by 1992.
1993
Scheduled monument designation
St Monans windmill and saltpans was first scheduled as a monument on 28 September 1993.
2011
Scheduled area amended
The scheduled monument area was amended on 22 July 2011 to include the full extent of the known remains.
Sources and records
Historic Environment Scotland scheduled monument record; Trove / Canmore place record; archaeological excavation reports; Scottish Windmills: An Outline and Inventory