‘Huge moment’ as community events mark reopening of John O’Groats Mill
The reopening of John O’Groats Mill was described as “a huge moment” as members of the community were given a first look inside the refurbished complex at the weekend.
The historic building is being brought back into use as a heritage attraction and community venue in a £4.9 million transformation led by John O’Groats Mill Trust. It will open fully this Saturday.
Two community events were held last Saturday and were declared a huge success, with hundreds turning out to admire the new-look mill.
Families enjoyed colouring in pictures of the mill designed by artist Aimee Lockwood, while a film written and produced by Far North Film, and shot by local children, had its first screening.
The evening party saw the crowd being entertained with traditional live music from Jack Simpson and Gordon Shearer.
A special moment came when water was released from the mill pond to flow over the waterwheel once again, giving those attending a look at the mill machinery in action.
Development manager Bryony Robinson said: “It was a huge moment to finally have people back in the mill after the years of hard work, and very gratifying to hear people comment that the character of the old mill had been retained.
“The events both celebrated those who worked on the project and served as a thank-you to the community for their unwavering support. These were exactly what was envisioned by the trust from the start – a place for folk to gather, in a familiar building full of local connections and history.”
Mill trust chairman Rognvald Brown said: “We had a wonderful time at the weekend opening our doors to the community for the first time. Hundreds attended our events and I hope to see many more folk through the door once we open fully this Saturday.
“As well as a heritage visitor attraction, the mill is a community venue and we encourage any community groups, individuals or friends groups that want to use the mill for meetings and events to get in touch.”
From this Saturday, the mill will be open to the public as a heritage visitor attraction six days a week from 10am to 5pm (last entry 4pm and closed on Wednesdays). Parking is available, but the mill can also be reached along the all-abilities coastal path from the John O’Groats signpost, created by John O’Groats Development Trust and the mill trust in 2021.
The mill is around a mile from John O’Groats village on the North Coast 500 route and it is set to become an important new tourism attraction.
John O’Groats Mill Trust was formed in 2017 and began the task of raising funds to restore the mill as a social, educational and cultural centre.
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.