In a field outside of North Berwick there is an old and ruined stone tower. It stands in an island of rough grass looking out over the ever-changing crops being grown and harvested around it. I have often cycled by on the narrow country road that takes you past it and had thought that while it looked a bit like the remains of some fairytale tower fallen into disrepair, it was probably just one of the many dovecotes scattered around East Lothian. However, though it was latterly used as that, it turns out that it was originally built as a windmill.
The windmill was built in the late 17th century for milling barley and is constructed of rubble and freestone. It has an underground vault that extends out from the tower and about twenty feet into the field, which I assume was probably some sort of storage area. The windmill carried on in its original industrious purpose up until the 18th century when it fell into disuse and was then more than likely abandoned for a while. Its working life over, someone, probably the local landowner, thought it would make a good doocot, so had it heightened by about ten feet and converted into that. The building was recorded in 1799 on a map of Haddingtonshire by William Forrest as being a ‘Pidgeon Cot’. How long it carried on in this function I have no idea, but at some point, a big chunk of the tower collapsed, and it fell out of use again.
I had hoped to have a look around this building for a while but thought it best to wait until the crops around it had been harvested. Then they were and it rained for what seemed like weeks afterwards leaving the field a muddy mire. So, after a few days of autumn sunshine I took a trip out and trudged through the field to the ruin. The field was not quite as dry as I hoped, and the mud was a sticky clay that stuck and balled around my feet turning my stride into a boot heavy drag.
Wanting to get into the building I walked first of all to the doorway only to find that there was a ten-foot drop to the ground below. Having no intention of being thwarted I then followed the line of the vault round to where there was another way in. Ducking through into the short tunnel there, I got through and into the structure of the windmill itself.
Like in so many other earth floored ruins I’ve wandered around I found that I was quickly surrounded by little biting flies who nipped at my balding head in a frenzy of blood lust. Unfortunately for them, a few swipes over of my hand and their feeding frenzy was over. Well, until the next lot appeared.
Inside the tower of the windmill, it was quiet and warm, with the sunlight from above spiralling down. I watched the clouds above scudding past in the sky and thought how relaxing it would be, if the nasty, little biting flies weren’t around, to sit there in a comfy armchair and spend an hour or two just looking up. Maybe one day I’ll dig a deep hole to lie in and watch the sky.
Before leaving, I left the Skulferatu that had accompanied me, in a gap in the tower wall of the old windmill.
The coordinates for the location of the Skulferatu are -
Latitude 56.035724
Longitude -2.718919
what3words: flagging.copiers.legend
I used the following sources for information on Balgone Barns Windmill –
Canmore - Balgone Barns Windmill, North Berwick
Historic Environment Scotland - Balgone Farm, Old Windmill
National Library of Scotland – William Forrest, Mapmaker
