Barry Mill

Since joining the National Trust, we have resolved to visit one property per month. First on the list was Barry Mill in Angus, not far from Monifieth where my folks used to have a static caravan. Set in lovely grounds, the building is one of the last remaining water-powered oatmeal mills in Scotland, just outside the small village of the same name. Close by on the East Coast Main Line is Barry Links Railway Station, consistently one of the least used in the UK. A token two trains call twice a day in each direction.

The three-storey mill is powered by the Barry Burn and grain has been processed here since at least 1539, although the current operation dates from 1814 when the mill was rebuilt following a major fire. This was a commercially active site until 1984 and the National Trust saved the complex from complete dereliction by stepping in to buy the property in 1988. The mill was opened to the public following a four-year restoration programme. Things didn't go too smoothly initially and the A-listed attraction was threatened with closure in 2009. It was one of the Trust's least visited properties and a public meeting was held to discuss the way forward. Financial support from Angus Council and a charitable trust enabled the mill to remain open and we arrived to a warm welcome from the onsite staff. After an alfresco coffee in the small picnic area, we joined a guided tour. Four people, including ourselves, were present. Before the perfection of potato farming in the early 1800s, oats formed a huge part of the Scottish diet and meal mills were scattered across the land. A 1794 map of Angus shows well over 100 such operations in the county. Workers were paid partly in kind. The works on a top-down principle. Oats are dried in the kiln and transported up to attic level, from where they tumble downwards through the various milling processes until they reach they basement where the are bagged for outward delivery. Water powers everything. A lade diverts part of the flow from the Barry Burn and this turns the main wheel. The axle drives a system of gears that control the milling stones, sack hoists, sieves and elevators. The local community was heavily dependent upon the output. With mice a constant problem, the onsite cat played an important role. Kirsty, who died in 1991, was the last in a long line of Barry pest controllers. The National Trust employs a head miller to supervise the working demonstrations that take place today. The growing industrial revolution brought changes to grain production. Larger and more efficient concerns were built in cities and the importation of produce from the New World made it increasingly difficult for rural mills to survive. Barry somehow clung on. We were unable to gain access to the drying kiln as it was under repair but it was possible to look through the door. This was the only part of the complex to survive the 1814 fire. A typical working week here was five 13-hour shifts and a half day on a Saturday. Health and safety was rudimentary and an in formation board told the story of a poor fellow who was fatally injured by the machinery. As the tour wound up, we were invited to touch the surface of various milling stones. It had been a very interesting glimpse into a vanished industrial age.

We decided to follow the walking trail along the wooded valley housing the burn - about half a mile each way. The pond has been retained to provide a resource for local wildlife. Bats frequent the area and swallows take advantage of the nesting opportunities in the old buildings. The tumbling oxygenated water allows trout to thrive, while dippers and kingfishers are known to zip up and down the small glen. As we wandered back towards the car park, several families passed by, enjoying a fine spring afternoon in nature. The mill grounds and nature walk are open to all and I should imagine the prospect of a free afternoon out is an enticing one when you have kids to feed. However, the mill can only survive as an attraction if enough people pay for admission, or at least purchase items the small café and shop. This is a circle that can be difficult to square. Barry Mill has already been granted one reprieve. We hope it is still educating people another generation down the line. On the homeward journey we paused at the Monifieth caravan site to relive past memories and enjoy the lovely views across the Firth of Tay.