For at least six of those, certainly long before the days of its first recorded miller in 1696, Archibald Brown, it fulfilled this purpose by grinding oats from neighbouring farmers into oatmeal to sell on to customers all over Kincardineshire and much further afield, even playing its part in the Second World War by regularly despatching five-ton wagon loads to many theatres of war. Eleven millers followed Mr Brown before the Dallas family left the original miller's house by the burn to move into a new house at the top of the brae in 1876. Four more continued to fire the kiln but by the time Lindsay Watson and his family came to Benholm Mill in 1929 business for traditional water-powered meal mills was already becoming difficult and by the time his son, also Lindsay, bought the business in 1951 the demand for a miller's specialized skills were fast being overtaken by mechanisation in the form of combine harvesters, electric kilns, power driven tractors , and by the proliferation of large commercial mills and when he passed away in December 1982 there was every possibility that the sluice gate had been closed for the last time.
Not so, though, because fate was to find a new role, in fact a dual role, for the buildings and their grounds. Persuaded that its distinctive, idyllic, setting gave it considerable potential both as a tourist attraction and an educational facility, Kincardine and Deeside District Council bought the Mill of Benholm and its seven acres of land from Mrs Watson in 1984 and, after nine years and at a final cost of around £300,000, the painstaking and expert restoration and conversion of the only surviving traditional meal mill of its kind in Kincardine, a (new) mill wheel turned for the first time in 13 years when Kincardine and Deeside District Councillor, Jenny Watson re-opened the sluice gate in July 1995.
However, despite the mill's attracting 6,500 visitors in its first year, there were early signs of Council cutbacks affecting the enterprise with the removal of key attractions, especially for children, of farmyard animals and ducks, the working mill opening only from Mondays to Thursdays, the closure of the café in 2001 and the croft field allowed to become overgrown with weeds.
Matters took a distinct turn for the better, though, with the formal launching in 2002 of the Mill of Benholm Project, formerly the Benholm Mill Interest Group, (henceforward the Project) with the objective of providing employment opportunities in the café and the gardens for adults with special needs, financial support for this coming from Aberdeenshire Council's Social Work Service and later, in 2004, the appointment of a Project Development Co-ordinator to manage the project, aided by a Day Support Worker to supervise the gardens and the young adults and in the summer of 2005, while the mill remained open only four days a week, the gardens continued to provide valuable work opportunities and the tearoom opened from Monday to Sunday. However, just a year later the tearoom was open only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and the Benholm and Johnshaven Community Council, who were largely instrumental in persuading Mrs Watson to sell, and Kincardine and Deeside District Council to buy, the property in 1984 , were becoming concerned about the fabric and viability of the property as an asset to local tourism and contacted Aberdeenshire Council and the Mill of Benholm Project to clarify areas of responsibility including accountability, funding, operating principles and the vision which each body had for the mill.
At the February 2007 meeting of the Community Council a Senior Development Officer with Aberdeenshire Council explained the complex nature of the mill's management and the diverse roles of Social Work and the Project, emphasising how crucial Social Work's involvement in the Mill of Benholm was to its survival. Community Councillors applauded the invaluable work being done by Social Work but were still unhappy about the physical condition of the mill and its restricted opening times and felt that not enough was being done to promote the mill as "the jewel in the crown of Kincardineshire's tourist attractions", the main reason behind its 9-year costly renovation, and their concern increased when the custodian miller retired in 2007.
Now, though, a much greater dynamic has been evident in and around the B Listed mill. Recently, the Project, now a Registered Charity, has been revitalised, new members have been recruited to the team and a project manager, Mike Burleigh, who has day-to-day responsibility for all aspects of the site and its amenities, was appointed in 2008. Major improvements have been carried out to buildings and the site itself. Training for adults with special needs has been extended and covers both horticulture and catering. Crucial drainage work has been carried out on the access slope from the car park, the meadow and currently especially around the tearoom which is now open from Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 pm. serving light lunches, teas and coffees (home baking a delight) with last orders at 1.30 p.m. Cracks in the wall of the mill dam have been repaired, a small gift shop created and new notice boards erected. Planning permission has been obtained for new polytunnels and sheds to assist with the horticultural side of the project. Perhaps most importantly the opening times of the meal mill itself now coincide with those of the tearoom and the current custodian miller, Mr Keith Bennett, can, on request, demonstrate how the mill works and it is hoped that the wheel can be restored to working order soon.
The Project is very much a partnership between the Trust and Aberdeenshire Council and the viability of the mill depends heavily on volunteers and an annual grant from Aberdeenshire's Social Work Service, with additional assistance on site from Landscape Services and the Roads Service of the Council, Mr Burleigh pointing out that just one volunteer in the tearoom enabled his team to extend the opening hours to include Mondays and Fridays.
From producer of meal to a social work facility and tourist attraction, the Mill of Benholm has experienced a chequered history and, for long a destination for locals and visitors, it has also more recently become a popular venue for Yellow's on the Broom workshops and the Coastal Colourists' annual art exhibition and this year it also has a resident artist and will feature in the North East Open Studios event in September.
The Mill of Benholm has been, and continues to be, a valuable community asset and all those interested in its future must hope that it is now entering a period of sustained growth, reward for all those who have worked so hard to keep its spirit and traditions alive.
Anyone who is interested in supporting the Project is more than welcome to visit the mill and find out more. Further information is also available from project manager, Mike Burleigh on 01561 362466 or by E mail: mill_of_benholm@btconnect.com

Horticultural Society

Benholm and Johnshaven Horticultural Society's 50th Flower Show in the Village Hall on Saturday, August 29 between 1.30 p.m. and 4.15 p.m. is now only three weeks away and, while barbeques have not been lit during the summer as frequently as predicted , the recent mix of sunshine and showers must surely have been to the liking of gardeners.
Having now completed the arrangements for the Show, the management committee are keen to draw the attention of exhibitors to changes which have necessarily been made to the reception of exhibits. On the Friday evening before the Show the Village Hall will be open for the reception of exhibits in all classes from 6.30 p.m. until 9.30 p.m. During this time the kitchen area WILL be available for the preparation of vegetables, flowers and roses. On Saturday the hall will be open from 8 a.m. until 9.30 a.m. for the reception of all classes but during this time the kitchen area WILL NOT be available for the preparation of exhibits: these will need to be made ready prior to delivery to the Village Hall. This change has had to be made so that the kitchen can be cleaned in readiness for catering arrangements.
A reminder, also, that in the Flowers section there is the opportunity to create a floral display to commemorate the Society's 50th anniversary, the winner to be awarded the Forster Trophy for Floral Art.
Tickets are now available for the Buffet Dance celebrating the Horticultural Society's Golden Anniversary. To be held in the Village Hall on Saturday, September 5 live entertainment will feature two groups, an initial quantity of wine will be provided on the tables, otherwise it is a bring-your-own function and, due to the limit on numbers permitted in the Village Hall, the evening is restricted to adults.
Tickets are priced £7 and may be obtained from any committee member or from the Johnshaven Stores.

Putting

From an entry of 22 on a fine Monday evening, the winner of the monthly putting competition for the Cup was Michael Craig, Snr, who defeated Euan McCallum by 3 and 2 in the final. In the semi-finals Michael defeated Keith Brown by 3 and 2 while Euan defeated David Smith by 2 and 1.
The winner of the consolation competition was Findlay McCallum who defeated Kerry Gibson by 3 and 2 in the final. The losing semi-finalists were Sean Anderson and Hamish Wright.

Bowling Club

Despite several breaches of bowling green etiquette and a stewards' inquiry, the Mars Bars at Friday's hat night were awarded to Edith Waddell, Meggie Hann and Jim Brebner whose nine- shot victory was the highest on the night.
Hat nights continue on Tuesday and Fridays at 7 p.m. All welcome.
Early warning to local bowlers. The annual open seven ends competition will take place on Sunday, September 20 beginning at noon. Full details later.

Prize Bingo

The next prize bingo session, organised by the Bowling Carpet Fund committee, will be held in the Community Clubroom at Wairds Park on Saturday, August 22: doors open at 6.30 p.m., eyes down 7 p.m. Admission £1.50 which includes refreshments and two bingo books. Extra books 25p each. Raffle. All welcome.