IT stood in for the Highland home of Jamie Fraser when the Redcoats came calling during the first season of the hit drama Outlander.
But although its brush with fame was fleeting, the appearance of 200-year-old Preston Mill on TV networks around the world has helped ensure its wheel will keep turning for a few more years at least.
A crowdfunding appeal sent out by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) after the iconic building's waterwheel ground to a halt has been a raging success with donors digging deep to help pay for repairs, which have now got it moving again.
And it was the Outlander connection which help the fundraising effort smash through its £12,000 target, with an American fan of the show matching donations made by others.
A working mill until 1959, the historic Preston Mill in East Linton, East Linton, has a curious Dutch-style, red-tiled conical roof and is an architectural oddity which attracts thousands of tourists each year.
The engineer and millwright Andrew Meikle, who invented the threshing machine, was once a tenant and until September last year its machinery - powered by the River Tyne - was still turning.
READ MORE: Stars celebrate World Outlander Day
It is now used to give tour groups an insight into the gruelling life of a 18th century miller, and is also beloved by painters because of its unusual design.
The mill stood in for a part of Lallybroch Castle in Outlander, in a scene where star Sam Heughan was fixing its wheel when Government troops came looking for Jacobites.
He plunged under the water to hide while time-travelling heroine Claire Fraser, played by Catriona Balfe, talked her way out of trouble.
Other scenes at 'Lallybroch', which the series places in Inverness-shire, were actually filmed at Midhope Castle, located between South Queensferry and Linlithgow on the edges of the private Hopetoun Estate.
But real life imitated art when the wheel stopped working last year, with the NTS appealing for help getting it moving again.
The conservation charity began a crowdfunder to pay for repair works and has smashed its £12,000 target in less than three weeks thanks to generous donations from the public and the American donor from Nantucket, Massachusetts who made a match funding contribution.
Barbara Beinecke Spitler matched all donations made towards the repair of the mill, dollar-for-dollar, until $5,000 (£3,901.50) was reached.
As a fan of Gabaldon's Outlander book series and a philanthropist of historic preservation, Barbara saw the donation as the perfect marriage of her two interests. Repair work began in early spring with and has now been complete, just after the property's seasonal reopening.
READ MORE: Outlander star Sam Heughan to receive honorary degree for Glasgow University
To get the wheel turning again, engineers restored the masonry pillar - which the wheel sits upon - and replaced the timber bearing and metal bushes, which house the wheel's axle and holds it in place, allowing the wheel to turn.
However, some of the paddles of the wheel remain damaged, although these will be replaced.
The National Trust for Scotland’s Head of Fundraising, Ali Macleod said: “We are so grateful to all the people who donated to our appeal to repair the wheel at Preston Mill.
“We’re especially indebted to all of the Outlander fans, who were clearly inspired by the character Jamie’s under-dressed adventures in a fictional attempt to repair the wheel, as well as their obvious love of heritage.
“The wheel was needled and propped using structural steelwork designed by an engineer. A new sleeper was manufactured and the damaged metal bush, which houses the end of the wheel’s axle and holds it in place, allowing the wheel to turn, was also replaced.
“The next step is to replace the damaged wooden paddles in the water wheel and the job will be complete.”
Stuart Maxwell, General Manager for Ayrshire & Arran and Edinburgh & East at the NTS, said: "It's been inspiring to see such a diverse range of people come together to support the appeal, in Scotland and even overseas, and collectively demonstrate their love for Scotland by ensuring that this spectacular piece of Scottish heritage is preserved."
READ MORE: Thanks to Outlander, Scottish tourism continues to boom
Based on the bestselling books by US author Diana Gabaldon, Outlander charts the adventures of former combat nurse Claire Fraser who is transported back to 1743 through a mysterious set of standing stones.
On the brink of the last Jacobite rising, she meets dashing Highlander Jamie Fraser and their powerful story as star-crossed lovers unfolds.
The series appeared on screens in 2014 and has become a smash hit - even sparking a tourist boost at some of its locations.
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