Upper Kennerty Mill

CULTER'S Upper Kennerty Mill, the victim of an arson attack, dates from 1790 when it was the Barony Mill of Culter. Over the years it was enlarged, it survived a fire in 1942, and always retained features of earlier periods.

The present owner's grandfather, John Gavin, came to Kennerty in 1917 and his son Leslie took over in 1923.

He modernised the mill, which enabled Kennerty to become a leader in standards of quality, and to pass the government's test for sale of oatmeal in world markets. Government contracts during the war required production of oatmeal to feed the armed forces, and the mill supplied the breakfast cereal manufacturers, Scotts and Quaker Oats.

After W.L. Gavin retired steps were taken to provide for the future with a charitable trust, the tipper Kennerty Mills Trust, for the preservation of the mill. During this period it was visited by architects and surveyors, water mill historians and other interested groups. In a report from Heritage Engineering it was described as unique in Scotland: "No other grain mill in Scotland is as original, complete and well equipped as Upper Kennerty," and a water mill historian's report says, "It is of the utmost importance that the significance of this mill is retained for future generations as part of Scotland's rich industrial heritage."

In 2004 the Trust was awarded a Feasibility Study grant by the Architectural Heritage Fund. The study was carried out by a team of highly skilled professionals in conservation work and the final report was accepted and praised. A plan was developed for a future return to milling, with provisions for the admission of the public and presentation of a history of milling. The mill was on the brink of an exciting new development in its history. Hurdles had been overcome. A lot of painstaking work had been done - just as sixty years ago a lot of painstaking work had gone into its restoration by skilled millwrights and craftsmen.

All this is what has been lost. Some parents may have cause to reflect on what kind of citizens they have spawned and inflicted on our community.

It is too soon to foretell the mill's future. The fire brought expressions of hope and expectation of rebuilding. Community support would certainly be helpful in applications for funding. It remains to be seen how much can be restored. The Trust would like to ensure that Culter will continue to have its mill for many years to come. It will keep the public informed of what is happening.

Culter has already lost too much, its paper mill and its Gordon Arms. We don't want to lose yet another important landmark in our history. There has been a mill on the site for over 200 years and today; as one observer put it, "the mill stones still stand defiantly on their stone floor." Much is there to be rescued, and there is no doubt that under the wreckage the heart is still beating.

Evelyn E. Gavin