Lower City Mills: Corn Mill (Former)
Date 16 March 2012
Event ID 917331
Category Management
Type Site Management
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/917331
Part of a 3-storey, 4-x 5-bay, mainly rectangular former mill block, oversailing its tailrace and with pyramidal-roofed former kiln with roof vent at SE corner. Rubble with smooth raised margins. Canted SW corner. Regular rectangular openings. South elevation with off-centre, later, 2-leaf timber entrance doors.
This is an important early survival of a former mill from Perth's industrial past which retains much of its internal workings. The footprint of the building remains little altered from the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey Map of 1860 and the building is an important part of the streetscape. This mill acquired its present form after a fire in 1803 but it is likely to contain some earlier fabric, as a mill is depicted on the earlier, 1783 map. It is marked on the 1st Edition Map as a corn mill and a barley mill. It was latterly in use as an oatmeal mill and stopped production in 1953. The building now houses the Tourist Information Centre.
This area was served by the town's lade which brought water from the River Almond. This mill was part of a complex which included an upper mill, a flour mill, a lower mill, an oatmeal mill and a granary and offices. The upper mill is now the Ramada Perth Hotel and the old granary is now flats. The other buildings have been demolished. (Historic Scotland)
The mill building includes a rare collection of early mill machinery over four floors, which was operational during its last use as a visitor attraction. The mill includes an unusually large mill wheel of 4m wide and 5m diameter which hasn't turned since a reduction of water in the mill lade following the flood prevention works undertaken in Perth. (Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust)
