No run of the mill revamp
Neglected building to be overhauled
Millions of pounds is to be spent bringing one of Perth’s oldest buildings back to life.
Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust has recently moved into the iconic Lower City Mills and earlier this week unveiled £2.7 million plans for the building’s future.
There has been a mill on the site over the Lade since the 12th century, but the building that is there today dates from the 18th century.
For years it operated as an oatmeal, pot barley and malt mill alongside the Upper City Mills (now the Mercure Hotel), which was a wheat and flour mill and used the most sophisticated machinery of the time.
The machinery at Lower City Mills continued to operate until milling ceased in 1953. The building continued to operate as a granary with its huge waterwheel until 1966.
It was then restored by Perth and Kinross District Council in the 1980s, and turned into a popular visitor attraction.
Most recently only a small part of the building was used as a VisitScotland information centre and the rest of the mill was left unmaintained, falling into disrepair.
The giant waterwheel inside the mill has not been turned regularly since 2002, turning only once a couple of years ago during floods, meaning the wheel has become sagged and unusable.
But now Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust has moved into the building, and has unveiled extensive plans to completely refurbish the mill.
Dave Strachan, director of the heritage trust, said: “We are really excited about this project as we are developing it to not only care for the building, but share it with the community.
“The Lower City Mills itself is an A-listed building and a remarkable survivor of Perth’s industrial past.
“It is a really handsome building that any city would be proud to have.
“The mill is also one of the few places where the Lade, which is an unusual feature in Perth, is visible in the city centre.
“But it has had minimal maintenance over the last decade and, as a result, has been neglected.
“The Lower City Mills should be viewed alongside the Fair Maid’s House and St John’s Kirk as an important historical building in Perth.”
Andie Harris, mills development officer at the trust, said she wants to see members of the public involved in the building’s renovations.
She said: “There has been public use all through the mill’s history, up until
It’s a really handsome building that any city would be proud to have Dave Strachan
the last 10 years or so.
“It has been behind closed doors for years now and people may feel discouraged by that, but we want to make sure we allow public access.
“Everyone will want to come and have a look inside, because people find it interesting.
“We need someone to get the mill working again and that is a very specialised set of skills.”
The heritage trust aims to restore the historic fabric of the building and record and restore the mill’s machinery over the next five years.
They also want to provide traditional building skills training opportunities to members of the public as part of the process, and offer public access to the mill machinery in a bid to create a sustainable future for the Lower City Mills.