Just west of Shawbost are two oval mill buildings with a thatched roof: a mill and furnace that were used during the Iron Age were used for drying and grinding barley into flour. Maize and barley were the main crops on Lewis. The mill was powered by a river flowing from neighbouring Loch Roinavat.
The mill mechanism is fascinating: it has no scoop wheels as in more modern water-powered mills, but a mill wheel. This was located in a lower chamber and connected via an upright drive shaft to a millstone above it. The little building was unlit; the photographs had to make do with the light from the open door.
In the Hebrides Islands, there were around 1840 hundreds more similar mills in operation, but now the Shawbost mill is the only remaining and still operational example of this traditional mill type in the Hebrides.
The restoration of the complex was completed by The Norske Mill Society. The Norwegians apparently also stayed on the Hebrides and left their mark there.
16 September: Opening the door at Diamondway Buddhist Centre in Tallinn The centre's meditation sessions are open
