A DILAPIDATED textile mill, in which cloth has been made since 1784, is to be saved for the nation – four years after failing at the final hurdle to secure funding in BBC's Restoration series.
Knockando Wool Mill, in the heart of Speyside, is the last surviving district spinning and weaving mill on the Scottish mainland.
In 2004, it was the runaway winner in the Scottish heat of the popular BBC heritage series, winning almost 50 per cen
t of the vote. But in the final national vote, the mill failed to win the £2.5 million in support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) that would have secured its future.
Yesterday, however, weaver Hugh Jones and the trust formed to save the mill were celebrating the announcement that the "industrial jewel" in the Spey Valley is in line for an HLF grant of £1.3 million and development funding of £120,000.
The A-listed mill has been awarded a "stage-one pass", meaning money has already been earmarked for the project and funding will be secured after the successful submission of a detailed grant application.
Mr Jones has been operating Knockando virtually single-handedly since taking over the mill in 1976. He still uses its historic looms to produce tweeds and blankets, which are sold throughout the world, and to make cloth for the monks at Pluscarden Abbey, in Moray.
The mill and its buildings are in imminent danger of collapse and the original machinery, acquired over centuries, is also badly in need of restoration.
Eight years ago, Knockando Wool Mill Trust was formed by a small group of local people to try to save the mill and keep its industrial heritage alive.
Jana Hutt, the trust's chairwoman, welcomed the funding announcement.
She said: "Our philosophy is to restore the site by doing as much as is necessary but changing as little as possible. We want to keep the unique feel of the place – the sights, sounds and smells of a small working woollen mill. We want to share the thrill of seeing cloth grow as it is being made in the loom and know that a piece of history has been produced."
Mr Jones said the HLF award represented a major milestone in the fight to save the mill. He said:
"I am obviously biased through long association, but I know that Knockando Wool Mill is a very important survivor of Scotland's long textile history and future generations will be grateful for the current efforts being made to ensure its survival."
Colin McLean, the HLF's manager for Scotland, praised the campaign to save the mill. He said: "This is a magical place – an astonishing fragment of our rural history, which has survived because of one man."
Under the restoration plan, the main building will continue as a working mill, while the byre at the site will be converted into a visitor centre with exhibition space, café and an education room.
Features such as the water wheel and its lade will also be reinstated, and a workshop will be built to provide training in traditional skills.
The full article contains 524 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
