Opening image: what remains of the windmill by St. Peter’s church, Kirkhouse
Here we list the four buildings identified as water mills in South Ronaldsay – and another in Burray. Ordnance Survey maps show two further mills – one at Head (1882, 1903) and another at Gaira [see the Scottish Water Mills website]. While, today, we have many turbines dotted around the island, there is physical evidence remaining of just one windmill. The last working windmill in Orkney appears to have been in Papay Westray (South Via Mill) and was working until 1958. The only windmill listed for South Ronaldsay was at Kirkhouse Point – and we discuss that below.
Cara / Mill o’ Cara is on the A961 and overlooks Water Sound. It is just over a kilometre (0.7 miles) from the southern end of the fourth barrier. The water mill was built in the 1800s (although parts of the building might date back to the late 18th century – British Listed Buildings). The mill was in use up to the end of the Second World War. It was fed by water from the hillside opposite. There were two fairly substantial mill ponds – one opposite Castle, on Grimness Road, and the other further down the hill to the east of Parkhouse. The opening of the Churchill Barriers allowed producers to access larger mills on mainland Orkney. The buildings fell into significant disrepair (click for a picture of the mill when derelict), but have now been renovated as self-catering holiday accommodation. In 1977, it was listed as a Category C Listed Building. Click for map.
Gimps Watermill is off the A961 at the southern end of the fourth Barrier. It is towards the end of Honeysgeo Road. The watermill was fed by a sluice that came from a pond to the north of Gimps. The water then flows into the stream beyond the watermill that runs into the North Sea to the east of South Ronaldsay. The mill building is currently being restored, and the water wheel is also receiving attention. To reach the mill, you will need to walk up the track from Honeysgeo Road. Click for map.
Kirkhouse Point Windmill (see the opening image on this page ) is next to St Peter’s Church on the east coast of South Ronaldsay. It is listed as originating from the 18th century and described as having the ‘solid conical stone base of a post mill’ (Canmore. Click for the note). A slot at the centre of the structure is reported. The windmill sail pole would have been set in it. Click for map.
Close by there are also some stone walls that look like the remains of supports for a small wharf.
Kirkhouse Mill aka Kirkhouse Meal Mill – This Kirkhouse is on the west coast of the island. On the left in the photograph above, there is what was a three-storey kiln building, and, on the right, is what is described in Canmore as a ‘two-storey mill building, dating to the later 18th Century’. It hosted an overshot wheel fed by Oback Burn. The burn runs from a lake on the hillside to the south. From there, it flows into Widewall Bay. The Mill is a Category B Listed Building. Click for map.
Kirkhouse Mill was largely used for milling Bere – a grain that has probably been grown in Orkney since Neolithic times. Bere is a six-row barley which is, today, largely cultivated in Orkney. Some is also produced in Shetland, Caithness and the Western Isles. It was used in the manufacture of Scotch whisky and to produce beremeal for bread, bannocks and biscuits. Today, the main mill producing beremeal is a nineteenth-century watermill close to Birsay in Orkney’s north mainland – Barony Mills [click for a map]. Their strapline is ‘The Only Place on Earth for Stoneground Bere’.
Kirkhouse Mill was converted into a home in the early 21st century and, as can be seen above, the owners have retained a pair of millstones and taken considerable care with the restoration of the building.
Sandwick Mill is a couple of miles to the south of Kirkhouse Mill. According to Canmore, it is a 19th-century, rectangular two-storey rubble building which is listed as a grain mill. It is now used as a store. It was fed by Sandwick Burn from the hills to the east. The building is not easy to see at close quarters as it is at the end of a https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/200352845-sandwick-house-south-ronaldsay-south-ronaldsayseries of farm buildings. However, it is well worth stopping by the farmhouse (Sandwick House aka New House) as it is a Category B Listed Building dating from the 18th-century. It is described as: Harled. Band-courses. Raised margins to windows. Piended advanced wing. Caithness slates (British Listed Buildings).
Click for map.
There is also a former watermill in Burray. It is down the hill from the Museum.
The Old Mill, Burray. This grain mill was powered by water from Echna Loch on the other side of the road. There was, apparently, a mill pond but it’s been filled in. However, elements of mill race (mill lade in Scotland) can still be seen, and water continues to make its way into Ethnaloch Bay just 5 metres from the mill. It was used for storage for many years before being reclaimed as a holiday home. The roofing was originally slate and the smaller building to the right was an annexe (click for further details from Canmore). Click for map.
If you find any mistakes in this piece or think something needs adding, please let us know.
All photographs | mks – ccbyaas2 licence.
Referencing this page: Smith, M. K. (2025). Mills – water and wind – in South Ronaldsay. Exploring South Ronaldsay. St Margaret’s Hope. https://exploringsouthronaldsay.net/mills-water-and-wind-in-south-ronaldsay/. Retrieved: ]
updated: November 14, 2025