Description

The monument comprises the remains of Busby Upper Mill, a water-powered cotton mill built in 1780. It is visible as a range of surviving structural elements and lies on a partially artificial level terrace on the W bank of the White Cart Water at around 70m above sea level.

Across the terraced space and in the White Cart itself, elements of the mill and its lade system survive. Starting at the S end of the site, the upper dam and sluice are visible. The dam stretches across the river from NW-SE and is still visible as a partially submerged line of masonry. This represents only the lower courses of the structure, which would initially have stood around 2m in height and with its upper section constructed of wood. Slightly upstream of this, another line of masonry is visible, although it is unclear what function this second line served. It may have served as a barrier defence for the dam itself, protecting the wooden structure from damage by large debris being carried downstream. The sluice gate survives in the western end of the dam. This gate would have controlled the flow of water into the lade system when the mill was in operation. It survives in situ as a sturdy timber and iron gate with the iron mechanism for raising and lowering the sluice surviving above.

To the west of the sluice gate is the beginning of the lade system itself. A small dam, measuring around 4m E-W by 1.5m transversely, has a now-blocked intake arch leading into the upper pond. This would formerly have been a reservoir for the lade system and measures around 25m NNW-SSE by 10.5m transversely, with a maximum depth of around 2m. At the northern end of the pond the water would previously have flowed through a gap in the masonry towards the mill wheel itself, but this was later changed to a large iron pipe leading into the wheel pit.

North of the upper pond is the site of the mill building. The most prominent surviving features of the structure today are the wheel pit and the surviving wall elements (used to terrace back the slope on the W side). The wheel pit survives as a deep rectilinear brick and stone pit, measuring around 7m NNW-SSE by 2.5m transversely with a maximum depth of around 2m, although this would originally have been deeper and the pit is now partially filled with debris. At the bottom of the E side of the pit a small channel is just visible. This may represent the original tailrace for the mill prior to the construction of the Lower Mill further downstream. In the north of the wheel pit is a second channel that exits into the tunnel and led to the Lower Mill (once it had been constructed). On the W side of the pit are a series of walls which terrace the steep slope on this side. This was necessary, in combination with the reclamation of land into the river, to create space for the mill. Today, this terracing is visible in the two terracing walls and the surviving corner of the mill building overlooking the wheel pit. The mill building was demolished around 1900 and no images of the building survive, but early Ordnance Survey mapping indicates that it was a roughly L-shaped structure, measuring around 40m NW-SE by 35m transversely. Descriptions of the mill suggest it was a three-storey rubble-built structure with attic space. The description also states that the mill had its own blacksmith's workshop and that the lade passed over the roof of the workshop in a wooden channel, just before it reached the overshot waterwheel. In the surviving section of terracing wall (which is likely a wall of the mill itself), a pitched roof-line is clearly visible in the wall directly before the wheel pit and undoubtedly indicates the location of the smithy in question.

Beyond the mill, the water was channelled further downstream in order to feed the Lower Mill site, constructed in 1790. This was achieved by the excavation of a tunnel between the two mills. The first section of this leads north out of the Upper Mill wheel pit. This section of the tunnel is of stone-lined construction and then the middle section turns to a brick-lined form. Around halfway along this middle section, there is an opening into the lade. This is listed as a well on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey mapping and does appear to be a deliberate inclusion on the lade system, as there is no evidence of any significant collapse around the gap. Beyond this opening the tunnel continues north in its brick-lined form until it reaches the whinstone outcrop which separates the upper and lower mill sites. Through this the tunnel is roughly hewn out of the rock and unlined before emerging into an open lade leading to the lower mill on the N side. Around halfway along the rock outcrop can be seen the remains of the lower dam. This second dam was constructed with the lower mill and allowed the two mills to function independently or in unison, as circumstances required. It survives today as a weir running roughly W-E across the river. On its E end several courses of masonry from the dam survive and just upstream of the dam, on the west, is the lower intake sluice, which led directly into the rock-cut section of tunnel.

Along the W side of the White Cart Water can be seen the remains of the land reclamation scheme which was required to create the space for the Upper Mill. This is visible as a 2m-high revetting wall of ashlar masonry running along the W bank from the waterfall to the rock outcrop. In the bed of the river in front of the wall is a wide strip of large boulders, deliberately placed here to protect the revetting wall from the risk of erosion or damage by the river or the large-scale debris it commonly carries along this section.

The area to be scheduled is irregular on plan, with maximum dimensions of around 180m NNW-SSE by 45m transversely, to include the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. Specifically excluded from the scheduling are the above-ground elements of the sewer crossing the site to allow for their maintenance.

Cultural Significance

The monument's cultural significance can be expressed as follows:

Intrinsic characteristics

The monument consists of the well-preserved remains of Busby Upper Mill, a water-powered cotton mill dating to the late 18th century. The site of the mill has suffered little disturbance since the mill building itself was demolished around 1900. Therefore, the site has excellent potential to preserve archaeological deposits relating to its construction, use and abandonment. In order to construct the mill, large-scale engineering work was required. This included the demolition of the two earlier mills on or near the site, the terracing of the slope and the reclamation of land into the river. It also appears that the cliff on the opposite bank may have been cut or blasted back to widen the gorge and evidence for the methods and execution of these works is likely to survive on the site. The evidence also suggests the remains of the earlier mills were utilised in the landscaping of the site for the later mill. It is possible that elements of these remains may also survive which could supply more information on the predecessors of the Upper Mill.

The remains of the mill buildings and the surrounding features are likely to preserve a wide range of buried material relating to the construction, development, use and abandonment of the site as a whole. The waterlogged sections of the lade system could preserve a wide range of organic and environmental remains related to the site, which could enhance our understanding both of the operation of the mill and the daily lives of the workers.

It is known that the workers and their families were housed both within part of the main mill building and within smaller ancillary structures around the site. The buried remains of these structures and artefacts related to the people living within them are also likely to survive. Such evidence could further enhance our knowledge of the daily life of the mill workers, their working environment, and the impact of the changing industrial landscape on the lives of those most closely connected with it.

Contextual characteristics

The monument represents the remains of the fourth cotton mill to be constructed in Scotland and the sixth in Britain as a whole. However, the three earlier Scottish sites, at Penicuik, Rothesay and Dovecothall, have all since been removed or redeveloped and little or no evidence of them survives. Busby is therefore the earliest surviving cotton mill in Scotland.

The location of the mill at Busby was chosen to take advantage of the adjacent waterfall. This waterfall, with a height of 6m, is the highest on the length of the White Cart Water. With the addition of the 2m-high upper dam this would create a total water-head height of 8m to power the mill. The force of the water at this section of the White cart had long been known and the Upper Mill was not the first structure to make use of it. A mill in this area is first mentioned in documentary records in 1300 AD. Prior to the construction of the upper mill, a lint mill and a meal mill both stood on or near to the site, and it is believed masonry from both these structures may have been utilised to construct the terrace for the Upper Mill.

In the 19th century, this section of the White Cart became a significant industrial landscape. In addition to the Upper Mill, the construction of Busby Lower Mill in 1790 further increased the capacity of the site. Located further upstream was a large print works and, on the opposite bank from the Lower Mill, a waulk mill. This predated the Upper Mill and a condition of the Upper Mill's construction was that it did not hamper this earlier mill's manufacturing capability. Next to the Lower Mill are the remains of a gasworks. Initially this was constructed to supply the Lower Mill, but later on it was expanded and supplied the entire town around the mill.

In the late 18th and early 19th century the cotton industry became a major part of the social and economic landscape of central Scotland and had an impact across the entire country. As one of the earliest examples of this industry, Busby Upper Mill represents an exceptionally important survival of a period of significant social and economic change.

Associative characteristics

Busby Upper Mill was constructed in 1780 by William Ferguson, a textile merchant from Glasgow, although at this time the site was known as Newmill, with Busby on the opposite bank of the White Cart Water. However, in 1783 Ferguson was forced to sell the mill to Richard Thomson, another Glasgow merchant. The Upper Mill appears to have been something of a volatile concern and ownership and tenancy of the site changed hands numerous times during its operational lifetime. Many documentary sources exist detailing these transactions and the operational aspects of the mill.

As stated above, although no images of the mill survive, documentary records do supply details of its form. The mill was an L-shaped rubble-built structure, comprising three main storeys and an attic. The internal walls were constructed of brick and, to create additional working space, the roof was fitted with skylights to allow the attic to be used for some of the mill's operations. For at least the early part of its life, around one-third of the mill supplied accommodation for some of the mill workers, with the remainder housed in separate homes on the site.

Both the Upper and Lower Mills appear on John Ainslie's Map of the County of Renfrew in 1796. The mills also appear on early Ordnance Survey mapping, with the Upper Mill shown as roofed on the 1st Edition, unroofed by the 2nd Edition, and it had been demolished and no longer appears by the time of the 3rd Edition.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

This monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant addition to our understanding of the past, particularly the construction and operation of large-scale industrial sites in the 18th and 19th centuries and the social and economic impact these would have upon the country. Structural remains and artefacts on the site could provide valuable information on the design, construction and daily operations of an early cotton mill. In addition, the waterlogged sections of the lade system may contain further artefacts and environmental remains which that could inform us about the daily lives of the workers of the mill and the environment they were living in. This monument is particularly valuable because it appears relatively undisturbed and lies in a landscape where there were a number of other industrial sites. The loss of the monument would significantly diminish our future ability to appreciate and understand the placing of such monuments within the landscape and the importance of the changes in industry upon the social and economic fabric of Scotland.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS record the site as NS55NE 240: Busby; Lade, Wheel Pit and NS55NE 48: Busby, Upper Mill; Cotton Mill, Dam, Lade. The WoSAS SMR records the site as WoSASPIN 8335: Busby, Upper Mill

References

Nisbet, S 1989, 'An Early Scottish Cotton Mill', Scot Arch Gazette 19, 14.

Nisbet, S 1990, 'Dovecothall and Bubsy Cotton Mills', Renfrewshire Local History Forum 2.

Nisbet, S 1990 'Newmill: An Early Scottish Cotton Mill', Scot Industrial Hist 11-13, 27-38.

Anon 2004, 'Renfrewshire Site Under Threat: Busby Cotton Mills', Renfrewshire Local History Forum 12, 37.

Nisbet, S 2008, The Rise of the Cotton Factory in Eighteenth-Century Renfrewshire, Brit Arch Rep 464, Oxford: Archaeopress

Source: Historic Environment Scotland