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Click Mill
Dounby Click Mill is the last remaining horizontal or “Norse” watermill still in working order in Orkney. Built by John Spence around 1822-24, it replaced an older mill at Millbrig and was in use for about 60 years, last reported working in the mid-1880s. It has an unusual waterwheel or tirl, with two rows of six blades, one set above the other.
Horizontal water mills in northern and western Scotland are often referred to as Norse mills – perhaps because they date back to this period, though they may even date back to the early medieval period (from the AD 500s onwards). The mill is constructed with drystone walls and roofed with flagstones and turf.
Birsay runs from the northwest corner of the Orkney Mainland down to Sandwick on the west coast, Dounby village in Harray in the centre of the west Mainland and across the Moors to Evie and Rendall. There are dozens of monuments, historic sites, and scenic walks to enjoy… and you might find yourself at the Click Mill on a sunny afternoon!