Pride as Stanley Mills gets European status
Historic factory will be included in major heritage trail
Stanley Mills has become only the fourth industrial attraction in Scotland to be included on the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH).
The Perthshire textile mill from the 1780s will now be included as an anchor point on the ERIH trail, a status widely recognised across the continent.
Stanley Mills now joins New Lanark, the National Mining Museum in Dalkeith, and the Verdant Works in Dundee as achieving the status. It is also the first Historic Scotland site to be given this type of recognition in Europe.
Eilidh Sinclair, the monument manager at Stanley Mills, explained: “We just got the certificate [from ERIH] through last week, and we will be getting a plaque from them too. We are now an anchor point on the trail, which is a seal of approval from ERIH, who goes onto their website and searches for textiles will find Stanley Mills. It is really important we have been able to achieve this status.”
The certificate the mill received is now on display, and a plaque from ERIH will be displayed inside the textile mill as well shortly.
Explaining the rigorous process the mill had to go through before it was accepted on to the ERIH trail, Eilidh said: “We approached them, but you don’t just get accepted, they have to come and visit you and assess you before you get it. It really is a seal of approval, so they need to make sure the site is a certain level of quality.
“Stanley Mills opened in 1787 so it is 230 years old this year. It is nice to get the local area to learn more about their industrial sites and heritage as well. We are all really proud.”
The staff at Stanley Mills welcomed visitors for last weekend’s national mills weekend with free tours and events throughout the two days. Perthshire’s Stanley Mills