St Monans
Next stop on my journey down the East Neuk was St Monans, a small fishing village with a population of approximately 1100. I noted in part 110 of this blog that Scotland did have windmills, and the one at St Monans which was used to power the salt industry has survived. During the eighteenth century, the process of salt-making went on around the clock. Other than the windmill, the only other signs remaining are the foundations of the pan houses. Sea water was pumped up wooden pipes powered by the windmill and distributed to the pan houses where salt was produced by evaporation. There is an impressive outdoor swimming pool, just to the side of where the windmill is located and there were quite a few folk taking a dip on the morning I was there.
The ruins of Newark Castle are located at St Monans, and these really are ruins. Constructed during the fifteenth century, I believe effort has been made previously to restore these but it didn’t come to anything. The church dates from 1369 and is said to be the closest church to the sea in Scotland, at 20 metres from the edge. Due to time, I didn’t get a chance to visit, so that’s on my list for next time.
One of the things I love about visiting places is the discovery of random facts and St Monans didn’t disappoint. The church and graveyard appeared in the 2016 remake of the film ‘Whisky Galore!’ which is well worth a watch (as is the original film from 1949). It is based on the novel by Scottish writer Compton Mackenzie. There was also a war film called ‘The Railway Man’ in 2013 which also used the church during filming. I haven’t watched this at the time of writing.
The Fiction Factory 