Mill Of Auchendryne, Clunie Bank Road, Braemar

The Mill of Auchendryne, now known as The Granary, is a late 18th-century mill building with a 19th-century addition to the north. It is a single-story structure, dropping to two stories with the natural slope of the land, forming an L-shaped layout. The building is constructed of granite rubble. The west (principal) elevation features a prominent gable on the left with a door opening, and a modern timber-gabled porch to the right. A piended dormer projects from the north elevation. The mill is situated within a sloping area to the southeast. A cast iron start ‘awe’ water wheel is present. The windows are predominantly modern replacements, with a modern Velux rooflight above the porch. The roof is covered in grey slate, and a conical flue is visible.

The interior has been extensively modernized but retains evidence of the original layout, with the former grain kiln now used as a sitting room. Some original machinery remains in situ. The first documented mention of the mill appears in the Earl of Fife’s diary from 1790, when he inspected the newly built mill on the Clunie.

The mill’s traditional character and use of local materials contribute positively to the streetscape, alongside its setting within the village. Historically, mills were vital to communities for flour production, and this mill retains elements of its original machinery, including the water wheel and parts of the gear mechanism. It was converted into residential accommodation in the late 20th century.

An early 20th-century turbine house is located to the northeast of the mill, in the sloping ground adjacent to the Clunie water. It utilized the lade previously cut for the mill and supplied power to the Fife Arms Hotel.