Milling Matters - John O'Groats Corn Mill

Event details

The John O'Groats Mill is a B listed former corn mill situated in Caithness on the far north coast of Scotland.  Built in 1901, it fell out of use twenty years ago on the sudden death of the last miller and is now on the Buildings at Risk register.  The John O'Groats Mill Trust was formed in 2017 and is a charity led by the local community who are bringing the mill back into use as a heritage visitor attraction and community venue.  The mill is unique in Caithness in having all its internal machinery in tact and was the last water powered mill to be built in the county, if not the country.  It has a very rich social and cultural heritage, mills having been run on the same site by the Houston family since 1750 and was very much the heart of this rural agricultural community.  The lecture will cover the history of the mill and the current plans to bring it back into use.

Rognvald Brown, chairman of the John O'Groats Mill Trust will present this talk about the experiences of the Trust in developing their ideas and overcoming various technical issues with re-establishing a tradtional flour mill.  Development officer Bryony Robinson will join Rognvald to speak about future plans for the mill.

Chris Bowes of MacGregor Bowes Architects is the project architect and principal designer, and will join both Byrony and Rognvald for the questions and answers at the end of the talk. 

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This event is part of Milling Matters - Four Fabulous Lectures, which are being held in the run-up to National Mills Weekend.  These events are being hosted jointly by SPAB Scotland and Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust as a preamble to our flagship event to be held in Perth Lower City Mills on 7/8 May 2022 - Scottish Mills Weekend.

Tickets for the lectures can be bought individually, or as a joint ticket for all four.

Lecture #1
1st February 12-13.30
Milling Matters - John o'Groats Mill Trust - Join Rognvald Brown, chair of the Trust to hear about their journey to bring new life into the mill so far.

Lecture #2
8th March 12-13.30
Milling Matters - Lifecycles of Textile Mills - Industrial Heritage expert Mark Watson will give his overview of how textile mills can be rejuvenated and put to new purposes.

Lecture #3
5th April 12-13.30
Milling Matters - Dusty Mill: Dusty Miller - A virtual tour and talk of Charlcote Mill in Warwickshire with SPAB Fellow and Miller Karl Grevatt.

Lecture #4
3rd May 12-13.30
Milling Matters - The Challenge of Saving Rosefield Mills - Join Luke Moloney to find out how Dumfries Historic Buildings Trust plan to bring new life into part of the huge textile complex on the edge of the river in the town. 

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Multiple bookings
As long as there is space on the event, we usually allow you to book for both yourself and a guest. When completing the booking form, you will be asked to select the number of people and put in your own details on the first page, then to put in your second person's details on the next page. The event fee shown on each of these pages is for the individual person - you will be shown the total amount due once you get to the summary page.

About SPAB Scotland
Members of the SPAB living and working in Scotland decided to form their own semi-autonomous group in 1995. Scotland has its own building traditions, architectural language and property laws, all of which are best dealt with locally. All members of the SPAB residing in Scotland are automatically members of SPAB Scotland.

About Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust
Working independently and collaboratively to preserve, enhance and increase understanding of Perth and Kinross’s historic environment. Since 1988 the Trust has been achieving a wide remit encompassing historic building conservation, archaeology, access to the historic environment and interpretation. Our emphasis has always been, and continues to be, on a high quality approach, bringing economic, social and educational benefit while securing a future for Perth and Kinross’s historic environment.

Booking Terms & Conditions

Accessibility: please contact the Group Organiser before booking to discuss any special access requirements.