Cairns Mill

Cairns Mill was a corn (barley and/or oats) mill about half a mile south of the Lade Braes at the head of Spinkie Den and is now the site of Cairnsmill caravan park.[1] Nothing remains of the mill building which was swallowed up by the creation of the Cairnsmill Reservoir.[2]

The mill originally belonged to the Culdees,[3] an early Celtic Christian sect whose arrival in St Andrews before 877AD predates the creation of the Priory in 1140.[4] The Culdees passed ownership of Cairns Mill to the Priory about 1240.[3]

The mill was owned by a succession of many different proprietors until 1867 when the Burgh of St Andrews built a reservoir at Cairnsmill to supply water to the town.[3] This marked the end of the mill’s life and the final tenant was paid £12 a year for the remainder of his lease as compensation.[3]


Gallery


References

  1. Ordnance Survey; 6″ series maps (1855) online at National Library of Scotland
  2. Ordnance Survey; 6″ series maps (1896) online at National Library of Scotland
  3. R N Smart; “Notes on the Water Mills of St Andrews” (1989) in “Three Decades of Historical Notes” (ed. M Innes & J Whelan, 1991)
  4. Raymond Lamont-Brown; “The Life and Times of St Andrews” (1997) (ISBN 0 85976 236 X)

Mapping