Stirling Council Archives Stirling Council Archives Department |
Stirling Council's Archives Service's main task is to acquire, preserve and make publicly available the documentary heritage of the Stirling Council area. Anyone may use the service and access the records free of charge.
Resources include Manuscripts, newspapers, maps, church records, administrative records and other key evidence for Stirling and the Stirling area since the fourteenth century. The staff can provide further information and guidance on local and genealogical enquiries. Jane Petrie of Archives gave a detailed presentation to the Society on the resources and support available to researchers in November 2011. View it here. Further details are available on the Stirling Council website. |
Archives Document of the Month for June 2013
Water Wheel at Deanston Mill, c 1930
To give some idea of the archives available for access, we highlight an example below.
Deanston Mill c 1930
These images show one of the four water driven wheels which powered the cotton works machinery, and the looms which wove the cotton in the weaving shed.
The machinery was driven by water diverted from the River Teith to waterwheels by a lade 1500 yards long. At its peak (around 1844) the Deanston Mill employed over 1000 workers.
The sheer scale of the wheel shown in this image can be seen in comparison to the height of the man standing in front of it. One can only imagine the noise, vibration and sheer power that the wheels produced while working. The wheels finally stopped turning in 1949 when they were replaced by hydro-turbine and a steam electricity generating plant which was then a more efficient method of powering the looms.
Deanston Mill c 1930
These images show one of the four water driven wheels which powered the cotton works machinery, and the looms which wove the cotton in the weaving shed.
The machinery was driven by water diverted from the River Teith to waterwheels by a lade 1500 yards long. At its peak (around 1844) the Deanston Mill employed over 1000 workers.
The sheer scale of the wheel shown in this image can be seen in comparison to the height of the man standing in front of it. One can only imagine the noise, vibration and sheer power that the wheels produced while working. The wheels finally stopped turning in 1949 when they were replaced by hydro-turbine and a steam electricity generating plant which was then a more efficient method of powering the looms.
Machinery inside Deanston Mill
The owners, James Finlay & Co. finally closed the mill in 1965 and the site became a whisky distillery soon after.
These images were recently donated to the Archive along with other material regarding Deanston Works and papers relating to the Duncan family who were involved in the cotton industry both at Deanston and Catrine (Ayrshire), reference A1718.
These images were recently donated to the Archive along with other material regarding Deanston Works and papers relating to the Duncan family who were involved in the cotton industry both at Deanston and Catrine (Ayrshire), reference A1718.
