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Castlehill Windmill, Olrig is a post-medieval windmill situated in Caithness in the far north of Scotland. The monument stands on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a geological formation dating to the Middle Devonian period, comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. This local stone would have provided both a natural foundation and readily available building material for the mill's construction.
The windmill represents the agricultural development of Caithness during the post-medieval period, when wind power was harnessed for grain milling across northern Scotland. The exposed, windswept landscape of Caithness made it a suitable location for windmill technology, which could operate efficiently where water mills faced difficulties. The site reflects the economic practices and technological choices of rural communities in this period.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under scheduled monument reference SM4274, recognising its significance as a survival from Scotland's post-medieval heritage. Though now a ruin, the windmill remains an important record of the milling practices and landscape use that characterised the northern Highlands in the centuries following the medieval period.
Castlehill Windmill,Olrig is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4274. View the official record →
Castlehill Windmill, Olrig is a post-medieval windmill situated in Caithness in the far north of Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4274.
Castlehill Windmill,Olrig dates from the post-medieval period, and is classified as a olrig. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Castlehill Windmill,Olrig is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM4274.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ring Hillock, cairn 280m S of Breezy Brae (2.7 km), Earney Hillock, chambered cairn 720m NE of Granton Mains, Bowermadden (5.4 km), Stemster Hill, chambered cairn 1180m ENE of (6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Castlehill Windmill,Olrig's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Castlehill Windmill,Olrig stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.