Weisdale Mill
Encyclopedia
Weisdale Mill is a watermill
in the village of Weisdale
, Shetland. It is located near the head of Weisdale Voe on the west of the island, a twenty-minute drive from the main town of Lerwick
.
.
The Weisdale Mill was a busy working mill for many years until the early 1930s. Crofters and farmers came from some considerable distance to get their oats and corn ground into meal and flour. With very little in the way of transport people walked long distances with their crops which then had to be left at the mill and collected at a later date. Some crofters came up the Weidale Voe by boat as far as they could and then walked the short distance to the mill.
In 1936 it was bought by a local farmer (Tony Anderson) and was converted into a slaughter house and butcher shop. The slaughter house was in the basement(where the cafe is now). The ground floor was used for the butcher shop. The top floor was used for storage and was often used to salt sheepskins before they were sold. The butcher shop and slaughter house were very busy particularly during the war years when large numbers of men from the forces were stationed at Scatsta. They also ran a large walk-in butcher van which visited many areas of Shetland daily selling beef and lamb.
During the war the mill was actually hit by enemy fire and some bullets came in the back door which was open at the time. Fortunately no one was hurt.
In 1982 it ceased to function as a butcher shop and slaughter house. It stood empty for some time but after extensive renovations, completed in 1994, the site is now managed by Shetland Arts
and contains the Bonhoga Gallery (an art gallery whose name means "my spiritual home"), the Mill Cafe and a gift shop.
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
in the village of Weisdale
Weisdale
Weisdale is a bay, hamlet and ancient parish in Shetland. The bay opens near the northern extremity of Scalloway Bay, and strikes four and a half miles to the north north east.The hamlet lies at the bay's head, about twelve miles north west of Lerwick....
, Shetland. It is located near the head of Weisdale Voe on the west of the island, a twenty-minute drive from the main town of Lerwick
Lerwick
Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland...
.
History
Weisdale Mill was built in 1855 and was Shetland's largest corn millGristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
.
The Weisdale Mill was a busy working mill for many years until the early 1930s. Crofters and farmers came from some considerable distance to get their oats and corn ground into meal and flour. With very little in the way of transport people walked long distances with their crops which then had to be left at the mill and collected at a later date. Some crofters came up the Weidale Voe by boat as far as they could and then walked the short distance to the mill.
In 1936 it was bought by a local farmer (Tony Anderson) and was converted into a slaughter house and butcher shop. The slaughter house was in the basement(where the cafe is now). The ground floor was used for the butcher shop. The top floor was used for storage and was often used to salt sheepskins before they were sold. The butcher shop and slaughter house were very busy particularly during the war years when large numbers of men from the forces were stationed at Scatsta. They also ran a large walk-in butcher van which visited many areas of Shetland daily selling beef and lamb.
During the war the mill was actually hit by enemy fire and some bullets came in the back door which was open at the time. Fortunately no one was hurt.
In 1982 it ceased to function as a butcher shop and slaughter house. It stood empty for some time but after extensive renovations, completed in 1994, the site is now managed by Shetland Arts
Shetland Arts
Shetland Arts Development Agency or Shetland Arts for short, is a charitable organisation formed in 2006 with a remit to "encourage and assist in promoting and advancing the creation, practice and presentation and study of all forms of art - visual, performing and creative."The organisation, based...
and contains the Bonhoga Gallery (an art gallery whose name means "my spiritual home"), the Mill Cafe and a gift shop.