Introduction

This evening, I am providing a link with Scotland’s industrial history as manifested in the restored windmill at St Monans.

The structure is located on the popular Fife Coast between Anstruther and Elie as illustrated in the map below. The Fife Coast stretches between North Queensferry and St. Andrews, N.E. of Edinburgh.

Information on the windmill

This windmill dates from 1772 when it was constructed as part of a salt panning enterprise. This entailed extraction of salt from seawater, a business established by Sir John Anstruther. At this time salt was a valuable commodity used for food preservation when refrigeration did not exist.

The salt extraction process entailed:

• An artificial reservoir of salt water on the coast.
• Pumping of the water from reservoir to saltpans using a combination of wooden pipes and energy from the windmill.
• Evaporation of the water using coal-fired saltpans. The coal was sourced locally. Approximately thirty-two tons of sea water was required to produce one ton of salt.
• Overseeing the operation was a Salt Master, an assistant and numerous employees. The work was dirty, arduous and dangerous.

The salt industry prospered between 1783 and 1815. However, decline set in when salt tax duties were abolished in 1823. After this the St Monans industry went into decline.

Today, the windmill and remains of associated infrastructure can easily be visited via a short walk from St Monans village. Keys to the windmill can be obtained from the local Post Office.

Here is a video clip of the view from top of the Windmill (through glass):

Information on St. Monans

This village is a popular stop in its own right, particularly the historic church which is usually open to visitors.

More information for tourists

Information on the Fife Coast, Scotland’s industrial history and much more can be found in Visitors’ Guide to Scotland, ISBN 978-1-9161332-0-04. This publication is also available via Kindle.