The 'Mill', as the locals know their local, dates to about 1798. This makes the Inn a contender for the longest continuously inhabited building on the Dornoch Firth. The Inn was reputedly built on the site of a cattle droving inn of around 1745.
The modern alterations to the Inn frontage started as a modest extension to the dining room to form a 'road house' conversion in the 1930's to cater for the new growing motor car and bus tourist trade on Scotland's Great North Road. Work has reinstated the 18th Century frontage inside.
It is intended to recreate the 1800's heyday of the Spinningdale mill, with authentic local interiors, clothing, furniture and menus. The 'Mill' will then be trading as the 'Cotton Mill Inn'.
The 'Balenoe' [Scottish Gaelic for 'new town'] cotton mill village at Spinningdale, was built by George Dempster MP, of Skibo and Dunnichen.
'Honest George' Dempster was a major share holder in New Lanark mill, now a World Heritage Site. Dempster intended the Balenoe mill to run along the same philanthropic lines as the New Lanark Mill, keeping the local people on his Skibo estates. Spinningdale marks the high tide mark of the first phase of Scottish industrialising.
In his prime, Dempster was the most popular man in Scotland, capable of spontaneously attracting vast crowds, usually for actively promoting Scottish industry, especially weaving.
George Dempster's very own web page!
The cotton mill house was built on three floors with an entrance through the stair tower on the south east corner.
Behind the tower, with its clock, there is space for the driving machinery, possibly a steam engine. There is a vent in the machine room for central heating to the working
floors. The mill house [finished 1798] burnt down in 1804.
The Old Mill Inn may very well be Dempster's mill managers accommodation. Originally comprising 4 equal-sized large rooms on two floors, with two single-roomed 'wings' to the rear. All the rooms shared a common entrance corridor from the front door.
The 'Mill Inn' still commands excellent views of the now romantic Mill house ruins, our stunning wooded fjord landscape and the old sea pier.
The millhouse became a 'Scheduled Ancient Monument' on the request of the Scottish Executive in Sept 2000.
An unexpected consequence of the arrival of the cotton mill, was that the native-born locals named themselves 'Jackdaws'. This was because these adaptable birds first became resident in the Glen through using the walls of the millhouse as a handy roosting space. Anyway, so the local legend passed down at bar of the 'Mill Inn' has it...
The cotton mill house ruins [since the fire of 1804], remain the focal point for the area even today. This extract from the late 'Bard of Spinningdale' demonstrates the "Jackdaws'" feelings for their mill.
By the 1830's, a traveler could regretfully refer 'to the deserted hamlet of Spinningdale', despite the 'great reverence' that George Dempster's [died 1818] name still 'commanded universally'.
To supply The Bungalow with all mod cons, a little hydro electric station was built over the Spinningdale burn [stream] its corrugated tin hut hidden away just beside the Millhouse.
From the existing remains, the position of the twin water turbines and their electrical switchgear can still be located.
The concrete lade [or aqueduct] still functions, acting today as a domestic water supply.
Mr Chance also had a Bentley car, and a yacht which featured in the great 1920's whale hunt...
The Hydro Electric Station in 2002.
Vikings and Cairns
The 'fjord' comparison may well have proved an attraction to the Norse 'Vikings' who settled the area around 800 AD. The name 'Spinningdale' means 'round valley' from the Norwegian language, 'Spinne' for round and 'dalhr' for valley.
From long before the times of the Norse incomers, we have remains of the New Stone Age farmers of 5,000 years ago and their Bronze Age descendants, who have left us their
communal burial chambers or stone 'cairns' as we call these monuments here.
There remains a lot of basic historical and archaeological work to be carried out in the Spinningdale area. There are possible opportunities for 'hands-on' archaeology for those interested in an unusual and worthwhile activity break.
Please contact 
Northlands [Heritage] Tours at the 'Mill' for more details.
Updated 29_12_2007 and © by Charlie Miller. MM.