£1.6m boost for John O'Groats mill project from National Lottery Heritage Fund
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Plans to breathe new life into the historic mill at John O'Groats have been given another massive boost with an award of almost £1.6 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
John O’Groats Mill Trust is leading an ambitious project to bring the category "B" listed mill back into use as a heritage visitor attraction and community venue, with work expected to begin by the end of this year.
Trust chairman Rognvald Brown says the redevelopment will allow the mill to be "a gathering place for the whole community" once more.
It is one of two Scottish mill community groups that will benefit from around £2.6m in National Lottery Heritage Fund support announced this week. The other is Carluke Development Trust, which is seeking to turn historic mill buildings in the Lanarkshire town into a heritage site, community garden and hub.
John O’Groats Mill Trust secured up to £1,599,576, while the funding for Carluke is up to £1,019,127.
Mr Brown said: “We are delighted to have received this significant award from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to enable us to bring the mill back to life as a community venue and visitor attraction.
“The project will bring about meaningful change to this remote and rural community where facilities are scarce and will once again allow the mill to become a gathering place for the whole community.
“Our mill is particularly special as all the machinery is intact and in working order, our project includes any necessary repairs so we can keep it that way, and this important piece of rural industrial heritage will once more support the local economy and can become accessible to all."
National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland director Caroline Clark said: “This month we launched our new 10-year funding strategy and these two projects encapsulate many of the key values at the centre of it.
“They aim to protect these important pieces of our social and industrial heritage and put them at the heart of modern community life. The two trusts are driven by impressive levels of ambition to draw on their local heritage to create something of real value to local people and visitors today and for future generations.
"It is thanks to National Lottery players that we can support these projects and others that benefit people, places and our natural environment.”
John O’Groats is a watermill, while Carluke is a windmill.
In January, £1.5 million was awarded to the project at Groats from the Scottish Government's Regeneration Capital Grant Fund.
The mill was in operation until around 2001 when Magnus Houston last worked it. In 2020 the mill keys were presented to the trust by Sina Houston, ending the Houston family connection going back some 270 years through six generations.
Since then the trust has been working with a design team of architects and engineers to develop its plans. These will see the existing building repaired and refurbished, while a new extension to the rear will provide a reception and community space.
