Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleMaster Salter and founder of Blackthorn Salt Gregorie Marshall underneath the A-frame of the new salt graduation tower on the coast at Ayr. Picture date: Friday June 5, 2026. (PA)A husband and wife duo, Gregorie and Whirly Marshall of Blackthorn Salt, are significantly expanding their historic salt-making tradition on the Ayrshire coast with the completion of a new, imposing graduation tower. This second tower, considerably larger than their first, stands at 12 metres tall and 25 metres long, and is filled with approximately 6,000 blackthorn bushes. The innovative method involves piping seawater to the top of the tower, allowing it to slowly trickle down through the dense network of thorns, where the expansive surface area and coastal winds facilitate evaporation, concentrating the water into brine for salt extraction. The Marshalls' site is unique in the UK for using this graduation tower method, which is also rare globally, and they assert it produces "super-high" quality salt in a more sustainable manner due to its low energy consumption. Their first tower began regular salt production in 2021, with the product proving popular, and the new tower is expected to further enhance their output and the unique flavour imparted by the blackthorn bushes. In fullCouple reviving Ayrshire salt-making complete huge new tower of thornsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Scottish couple build giant tower to expand historic tradition
Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleMaster Salter and founder of Blackthorn Salt Gregorie Marshall underneath the A-frame of the new salt graduation tower on the coast at Ayr. Picture date: Friday June 5, 2026. (PA)A husband and wife duo, Gregorie and Whirly Marshall of Blackthorn Salt, are significantly expanding their historic salt-making tradition on the Ayrshire coast with the completion of a new, imposing graduation tower. This second tower, considerably larger than their first, stands at 12 metres tall and 25 metres long, and is filled with approximately 6,000 blackthorn bushes. The innovative method involves piping seawater to the top of the tower, allowing it to slowly trickle down through the dense network of thorns, where the expansive surface area and coastal winds facilitate evaporation, concentrating the water into brine for salt extraction. The Marshalls' site is unique in the UK for using this graduation tower method, which is also rare globally, and they assert it produces "super-high" quality salt in a more sustainable manner due to its low energy consumption. Their first tower began regular salt production in 2021, with the product proving popular, and the new tower is expected to further enhance their output and the unique flavour imparted by the blackthorn bushes. In fullCouple reviving Ayrshire salt-making complete huge new tower of thornsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
