National award for Historic Scotland book on Stanley Mills

A book which helped to bolster the reputation of historic Stanley Mills has received a national award.

Historic Scotland has announced that its publication Force and Fabric, which helped to bolster the reputation of historic Stanley Mills, has received a national award. The book was highly commended at the Association for Industrial Archaeology annual conference on 12 August 2012, where the book, by authors Michael Cressey and Ron Fitzgerald was recognised for its report on one of the world's finest surviving cotton mills.

The book, which was published in 2011, examines the long vanished waterwheels that formed a focus for the archaeological explorations. The co-authors said there was substantial evidence within the Mills' waterwheel pits to allow a reconstruction of the different generations of water and turbine power.

Historic Scotland's Deputy Head of Industrial Heritage, Mark Watson, said: 'It was only through archaeological excavation that we were able to develop a fundamental understanding of the site. Our research showed how the use of water power evolved from the use of wooden waterwheels in the original corn mill to the iron waterwheels of the Industrial Revolution, and then on to early turbines.'

Stanley Mills, located off the A9, seven miles north of Perth, was saved from demolition with the intervention of Historic Scotland, with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund.

For more information, visit the Stanley Mills website.

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