NORTH AYRSHIRE WATERMILL SURVEY Name of mill: Kilwinning Date visited: 1st visit 20.9.76. 2nd visit 29.3.10 Address: Kilwinning Surveyed by: 1st visit Alastair Weir and Robert K Boyce. 2nd visit Alastair Weir Grid ref: NS305434 Present use: With the exception of the weir and the sluice, for what was a short lade, nothing remains. Site presently public open space. Notated on the 1st edition OS as a corn mill. Notes from first visit: See notes/survey sheet from ‘Water Powered Mills of the Lower Irvine and Garnock Waters’ by Robert K Boyce for his Diploma in Architecture, Mackintosh School of Architecture, 1982–83. Notes from subsequent visit: In the time between visits the remains of the tail race have disappeared due to the Garnock riverside footpath construction works. It is said this was one of several mills owned by the monks of Kilwinning Abbey. (Another mill, so claimed to be owned by the same monks, is Sevenacres. See survey sheet for this mill.) After being disused as a textile mill for the adjacent Busby Spinning Co. Ltd, whose main building was situated just across the river and which is now no longer working as a mill, it is said the Salvation Army had use of the building for a period. A section of a coursed stone wall still remains adjacent to the bridge and river. Included within the wall are sections of dressed stone. It is possible this wall formed the external part of the building nearest the River Garnock Photographs taken: Yes, of the weir and sluice and bypass area. Notes: Interestingly, the adjacent road bridge which carries all traffic approaching from the east into Kilwinning town, still has the original arch of a much older bridge forming the base to the present arch. An unknown quoted source states the following. “Old grain mills or other buildings were pressed into use and converted to take the new spinning machinery. This improvisation was more common among the smaller mills which flourished in the early 1790s, every parish public spirited gentleman sought to bring the benefits of employment o their areas. In Ayrshire establishments at Dalry, Monkton, Irvine and Kilwinning... Most were jenny houses with 15 – 30 jennies or mules driven by hand or animal power, employing 30 – 70 people. Kilwinning and Dalry would have a small carding mill driven by horses or water”. The locations of these mills are not known albeit early textile mills are noted in Dalry. .