Gavin's Mill at Milngavie

Introduction

Earlier today my wife and myself visited the (upscale) West End of Glasgow with emphasis on two sites one of which was Gavin's Mill.

Information on Gavin's Mill

Firstly, Milngavie (pop 13,000) is pronounced 'Mill-guy' which is close to the Gaelic original of muileann gaoithe or Dhai- 'windmill' or 'Dave's Mill', according to choice.Milngavie is well known as a function of it's position as start (or finish) of the 95 mile long hiking trail known as the West Highland Way.

Although located- somewhat incongruously- in the corner of *Tesco's car park the mill site probably has a history dating back about 500 years.In days past local mills enjoyed a monopoly on processing local farmers grain. 

(*Tesco is Britain's dominant supermarket retailer, roughly equivalent to Walmart in the U.S.) 

As the images herein illustrate the mill was powered by water from the local burn (stream). 

 

In the 1960s the original mill buildings were were gutted by a catastrophic fire. However, a rebuild was undertaken in 1970 creating two floors with a small mezzanine and a tiny garret. 

Today, the former mill complex is community owned and mainly comprises a retail section and cafe.  The former sells products under the 'Fairtrade' banner coupled with locally sourced products both with emphasis on ethics and sustainability.

We enjoyed our lunch at the cafe.


  

 

More information

The publication Visitors’ Guide to Scotland includes sections on Glasgow and the West Highland Way.. ISBN is 978-1-9161332-0-4. Also available via Kindle.


 

 

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