Windmill Stump, Fraserburgh

Windmill Stump, Fraserburgh

This is a cylindrical stone windmill tower dating to around the late 18th century, with an early 19th century top stage added in brick. The tower stands 17.5 metres tall and measures 5 metres in diameter, located to the east of Albert Street in Fraserburgh, surrounded by traditional stone-built and modern steel warehouses.

The base of the tower is constructed in whinstone, sandstone and granite, divided into two sections. The lower section consists of speckled rubble that has been harled, while the upper section, measuring 1.8 metres in height, features squared and coursed whinstone and red sandstone. The crenelated top stage, added in the early 19th century, measures 1.7 metres and is built of red brick. A circular hole is present on the northwest face of the top section, and a small rectangular opening can be seen on the west face. Some areas of stonework have been infilled with brick.

The original function of the windmill, dating to around the late 18th century, remains unknown. It was redeveloped in the early 19th century with the addition of the crenelated brick top. The tower was subsequently incorporated into a mid-19th century sawmill structure, which it was used to power. Historical maps show the site clearly: the Admiralty chart of 1858 (published 1859) depicts the sawmill complex, while the first edition Ordnance Survey map (surveyed 1869, published 1874) labels it as "windmill remains" within the sawmill complex, including an adjacent wood yard to the south. By the time of the second edition Ordnance Survey map (revised 1901, published 1902), the windmill had been incorporated into an extended sawmill structure located between Charlotte Street (laid out in 1870) and Albert Street (originally named Windmill Street, created in 1896). In the early 20th century, the sawmill was absorbed into a larger rectangular structure that enclosed the windmill within its walls; the second edition Ordnance Survey map (revised 1925, published 1926) shows it flanked by warehouses to the west and southwest facing Albert Street.

A historic photograph dating to before 1900 shows the windmill complete with its sails and windcap, comprising a white harled circular stone tower with a fantail. The cap and sails are likely to have been lost in the early to mid-20th century. According to the Scottish windmills survey of 1984, the windmill was later converted for fish curing, with remains of a fire box evident on the north face of the tower at ground level. During the Second World War, the tower was used as a lookout post. The walls of an early 20th century warehouse, itself developed from a mid-19th century sawmill structure that likely incorporates fabric from the earlier sawmill, now stand against the southeast corner of the tower.