Ironmacannie Mill is a historic

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...

near Balmaclellan in

Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the counties of Scotland, historic counties of ...

, Scotland. Built in the 18th and 19th centuries, on the site of an older mill, it retains a substantial amount of original gearing and machinery, and was designated a Category A listed building in 1971. It was converted for domestic use in the 1990s, and is currently used as holiday accommodation.

Description

The mill stands on a site about south of Balmaclellan, on the north bank of the Shirmers Burn. It is a three-story L-plan building, with rubble masonry made of locally mined whinstone. The windows are plain, and mostly in the south-east wall. Two

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

waterwheels survive, fed via its

mill race A mill race, millrace or millrun, mill lade (Scotland) or mill leat (Southwest England) is the current of water that turns a water wheel, or the channel ( sluice) conducting water to or from a water wheel. Compared with the broad waters of a mi ...

s by water from a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

some north of the mill. The larger wheel formerly drove the mill's three grinding stones, while the smaller one operated the bellows for the mill's kiln. There is now a micro hydro generator, providing power for the building.

History

Most of the surviving structure dates to the nineteenth century, but the oldest parts of the building are late eighteenth-century, and it was built on the site of a much older mill. It was designated a Category A listed building in 1971; its designation describes it as being "remarkable for the survival of most of the internal gearing and machinery". In 1990, consent was granted to convert the building for use as domestic accommodation, while preserving the historic gear and machinery in-situ; work began shortly afterwards, and the building is currently used as holiday accommodation, marketed as The Hidden Mill.

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{refend

External links

The Hidden Mill
Category A listed buildings in Dumfries and Galloway Watermills in Scotland