Description

Dated 1873. 4-storey, 19-bay rectangular-plan mill building with projecting stair tower projecting above eaves height to front elevation. Whin and sandstone rubble with red sandstone dressings. Rusticated quoins. Oriented roughly E-W on an open site. Eaves course. Hood moulded windows to stair tower, circular windows to upper stage. M-roof with concealed valley. Steel fire escape to rear.

FRONT ELEVATION: entrances to far left and far right; that to right blocked up and new opening formed immediately to left. Main entrance in base of stair tower.

Predominantly 12-pane timber sash and case windows.

INTERIOR: Interior relatively intact. Structure of cast iron columns and timber beams and floors, including floorboards. Boarded roof to upper floor. Lower floors divided into 4 bays wide, upper floor 2 bays wide with cast iron main longitudinal beam.

Statement of Interest

Built for Adam L Cochrane and Brothers, Netherdale Mill is the best remaining example of a high mill in Galashiels. Netherdale was one of the premier mills in the town and the complex once exhibited an unusual formality in its layout. The design of the mill, too, is notably formal, with rusticated quoins and hoodmoulds. The survival of features such as the interior surfaces and the timber windows is notable.

The first high mill was built in 1857 for J and W Cochrane of Mid Mill by R and A Stirling and stood immediately to the east of the present mill with a castellated tower. At the time there were also single-storey sheds to the east. In 1873, the present mill was built to match the existing, and through the late 19th century the single-storey sheds more than doubled in size, with an office block of 1893 to the south. The ground to the front of the mills remained open, with playing fields provided for the workers, many of whom lived immediately to the east of the mill, in Waverley Street and Dale Street.

The mill closed in 1932 and has had a variety of uses, including as a production unit for the Scottish Woollen Technical College.

In 1976 the 1857 mill was demolished, along with the majority of the weaving sheds. The 1873 mill now forms part of the Galashiels campus of Heriot-Watt university and is used for teaching textiles students (2005).

Galamoor House, an administrative building of 1919 is separately listed.

The importance of the textile manufacturing industry to Galashiels can not be overestimated, as this industry was the sole reason for its expansion and prosperity in the 19th century. Wool manufacture has largely subsided, but the remaining buildings are important monuments to the industry.

Although there were water-powered fulling mills in Galashiels by the 16th century, the modern Textile Industry began in the 18th century. At this time, however, Galashiels was a relatively minor player in the Borders textile industry, although the establishment of the manufacturers corporation in 1777 was to play an important role. Through the 19th century the industry expanded rapidly. The arrival of the railway in 1849 allowed for easy access to raw materials and coal, which facilitated the increased use of steam power by the 1860s. The late 1860s and early 1870s were the peak of prosperity for Galashiels, which benefited greatly from a number of foreign conflicts. By this time there were over 20 large-scale producers of cloth, as well as a number of allied industries. However, Galashiels had an over-reliance on foreign trade, which led to the slow decline of the industry through the late 19th and early 20th century.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17853870

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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