Bridge Of Weir, River Gryfe, Burngill Mills
Lade (Period Unassigned), Tunnel (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Bridge Of Weir, River Gryfe, Burngill Mills
Classification Lade (Period Unassigned), Tunnel (Period Unassigned)
Alternative Name(s) Burngill Lade Tunnel; Gryfe Tannery
Canmore ID 307563
Site Number NS36NE 148
NGR NS 38565 65835
NGR Description NS 32500 65815 to NS 38580 65870
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/307563
- Council Renfrewshire
- Parish Houston
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Renfrew
- Former County Renfrewshire
Field Visit (2009)
Bridge of Weir – Burngill Mills
Mills, lades, dams and tunnels
Stuart Nisbet
On the W side of the remains of the Bridge of Weir Dam No 1 on the River Gryfe (NS 3846 6584), are a curving rubble headrace and broken timber sluice gate. These are the first of a succession of four dams or weirs on a 1km length of the River Gryfe, serving at least eight separate water-powered mill sites, each of which supported numerous mill types.
In an upstream arch of a railway viaduct is an arched entrance to the surviving brick-lined Burngill lade tunnel.
This continues under a derelict man-made terrace (centred on NS 3855 6583), which supported Burngill Cotton Mill (1792) and Burngill Leather Tannery (initially a waulk mill, from the 1770s). The terrace is retained by a 5m high rubble wall on the edge of the Gryfe. The lade terminates in the Burngill tailrace in the river wall (NS 3858 6587), an arched rubble tunnel 2m wide x 1.5m high that exits through a partly collapsed arch and training wall, just upstream of the A761 road bridge.
