Ballantrae, Mill Hill

Thought to have been built in 1696 Ballantrae's tower remnant was originally a vaulted tower mill, a mill type that is rare in the UK outside Scotland The first map record of the Ballantrae Mill is 1747. Windmills were often built in areas of low rainfall or where the land was flat and the water current sluggish however in this coastal location the advantage was the expectation of strong winds at all times of the year. It is recorded on Roy's map of 1747 and the 1775 Armstrong map clearly shows a windmill at Ballantrae with four sails however by 1799 it is recorded as being ruinous.

The north and south facing doors are open and unaltered. The vault is in poor condition having been partly demolished and also blocked up to prevent the entry of cattle or sheep. The tower interior is substantially infilled with stones, some of which are from field clearance. Two small windows remain. No remnants of the windmill machinery survive. The mill does not obviously stands on a stone platform. As stated the exterior stucco waterproofing and mortar has been lost and the mill is on the buildings at risk register. The tower is around 6 ft or 2m lower than that at Monkton and a drawing from 1930 suggests that it was higher at that time in addition to it tapering towards the top. Only…