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Sam Heughan thanks fundraisers for their help in restoring water wheel at Outlander filming site

Outlander star Sam Heughan has thanked the public for their support and donations to help get a water wheel at the historic Preston Mill turning again.

The mill, located on the banks of the River Tyne in East Linton, featured in some of the hit TV show’s first series and was in need of urgent repair work.

The mechanism which allowed the water wheel to turn broke over the winter months of last year, causing it to jam in a fixed position.

Within two weeks of the launch of the crowdfunding appeal, the sum of £12,000 required to undertake the repair works was raised, enabling work to be carried out to restore the wheel to its former glory.

Sam recorded his message of thanks in a short video released by the National Trust for Scotland.

He said: “A big thank you to everyone who supported the National Trust for Scotland’s Preston Mill fundraiser.

“It’s an incredible mill and you guys helped to keep that place looking fantastic. I really can’t thank you all enough. It’s a beautiful place. Go visit!”

One of the region’s last working grain mills, it was used commercially until 1959.

With its curious Dutch-style conical roof, Preston Mill is an architectural oddity that beguiles visitors and transports them back in time.

In 2014, it hosted the Outlander cast and crew as they filmed some of the first season’s most pivotal scenes, with the mill used as a stand-in for Lallybroch, Jamie Fraser’s (played by Sam Heughan) family home.

Given the TV show’s international popularity, the fundraising campaign ran in partnership with the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA.

The campaign attracted global attention with an American donor from Nantucket, Massachusetts, making a substantial match funding contribution.

Stuart Maxwell, General Manager Edinburgh & East said: “We’re very thankful to everyone who has supported this project by raising awareness of the work we needed to do to protect this important place.

“Whether it was spreading the work on social media, or by donating to our crowdfund appeal, it’s been fantastic to see. Thanks for helping us to get the wheel turning once again.”