Renovation of Locherlour Mill
We purchased Locherlour Mill in December 2007 as an empty shell, with a leaky roof. We started work in April 2008, a local building firm, Corryard Developments Ltd was awarded the contract to build and project manage the renovation. After excavations of large amount of earth from the back walls of the Mill, we found that the walls were in good condition, with little damp.
As Locherlour Mill is a grade-B listed building, we had to renovate it to the strict standards of Historic Scotland, and use traditional materials wherever possible. For example, we replaced the entire roof of the Mill, and re-used all the old existing slates, all 4569 of them! Each slate was carefully removed, cleaned, set aside, and then replaced back on the new roof.
Several areas of the original lime mortar had to be re-pointed. We got the old lime mortar at the Mill scientifically analysed to identify the correct composition. We managed to identify a quarry in Callendar (20 miles away) with the same gravel composition, and we believe that this was the quarry used when the Mill was first built in 1832.
There is still lots of work to be carried out at the Mill before it opens its doors in Spring 2009. We will keep you posted on the developments!!