Scalan Seminary and Mill Buildings
Scalan Seminary and Mill Buildings was the location of a hidden seminary between 1716 and 1799 and then a working farm in the 19th and 20th Centuries. It is now managed as a heritage site by the Scalan Association.
Area Covered: Scalan
When the seminary moved to Aquhorties in Aberdeenshire (before finally moving on to Blairs College outside of Aberdeen) the site reverted back solely to a working farm. In the 1870s the north mill was constructed with an in-situ built threshing mill and covered waterwheel. Later in the early 1900s the south mill was constructed. What is extra special about these two buildings is the extensive graffiti that was left behind by those who lived and worked on the site. The walls are a remarkable diary of events, daily working life, weather and some love stories too. In 2019 the two mill buildings underwent a major conservation project funded through the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and delivered in partnership between the Scalan Association and Crown Estate Scotland through the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Landscape Partnership. Through this project the waterwheel in the north mill was restored, overall conservation of the fabric of the buildings undertaken and interpretation put in place.
Today, the site is managed by a volunteer-led charity, the Scalan Association. The site is open to visit year round, but during the summer months open days are held where volunteers are onsite to open up areas that are normally kept closed to help preserve the historic graffiti and artefacts, and also share their own stories and knowledge of the site. When visiting, parking is at Carrachs car park with roughly a 0.5 mile walk along a farm track and through farm fields. There is one parking space on site that is for those who have restricted mobility. It should be noted that the site is not fully wheelchair accessible, there are mown grass pathways but the ground is uneven and the buildings have been maintained as they were originally built and so are not fully wheelchair accessible.
(header image and graffiti image Amy Woolvin)
Location
History
Nestled at the foot of the Ladder Hills, enfolded within the Braes of Glenlivet sits ‘The Scalan’. The location of a secret seminary between 1716 – 1799, and later a working farm when two additional mill buildings were constructed during the late 1800s and early 1900s, this site is rich with stories and history. The site was chosen as the location for a secret seminary during the early 1700s when those of the Catholic faith were heavily persecuted. Chosen for its seclusion and sympathetic neighbours, the seminary was built (the original building was destroyed after Culloden in 1746 and then re-built in the location that it is now on the site) and educated around 100 men to train to be priests, finishing their training in Scots Colleges in mainland Europe.
