Dalgarven Mill – Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume

The village of Dalgarven was largely destroyed by the construction of the main A737 road, but the mill buildings survive and are open as a tourist attraction and educational resource, interpreting local history in addition to its role as a museum of Ayrshire country life.Very few mills remain in Ayrshire and this is an example which has been preserved due to the foresight of the family of the last miller who saw a modern role for an ancient industrial site and traditional social meeting-place.The River Garnock's waters power a 6-metre diameter breast-shot wheel that drives the French burr millstones through cast iron gearing.The weir on the River Garnock is made of boulders which are carefully placed and locked together creating a millpond that supplies a good head of water to the wheel through the lade.The weir was built on a natural dyke which runs across the Garnock at this point, its existence being carefully exploited by the monks of Kilwinning Abbey who chose the site for the mill.Window tax was first levied in England in 1696 to offset the expenses of making up the gold and silver deficiency in the re-coinage of William III reign caused by clipping and filing of coins.[2] Lying on the cobbles outside the original waulk mill and stables is a large oval sandstone object with metal attachments on its central axis.This was used to crush whin or gorse in a shallow trough, the stone being dragged up and down by a horse, making the spiny and tough branches of the plant suitable for use as animal feed.[3] Heron, on a tour of Scotland in 1799, records that the miller at Dalgarven had constructed a wooden bridge in the Japanese style and interesting gardens with patterns of low box hedges.The three-storey grain store has been converted during the main restoration period of 1985 to 1987, to house an extensive collection of Ayrshire farming and domestic memorabilia, reflecting the self-sufficiency of the pre-industrial rural community that was Dalgarven.An antique shop is housed in an old outbuilding, a cafe provides snacks and meals and the original mill on the River Garnock's edge is being developed.The first and second floors of the mill show all the aspects of country life with re-constructions of interiors (parlour, kitchen and bedroom) from Victorian times and displays of farm implements, Ayrshire Whitework, lace, luggage, dairy work, wildlife, storage jars, a bee skep and stand, quoits, early vacuum cleaners, washing machines, blacksmiths' tools, etc.School groups can visit the mill as part of their studies and are given guided tours and / or specific talks on the many topics which are covered by the trust's collections.A type of petroglyph called a cup and ring mark stone is recorded as existing at Dalgarven by John Smith,[8] the notable Ayrshire antiquarian.It is not generally appreciated how much the Ayrshire landscape has changed its character over the last few hundred years, for even in the 1760-70 Statistical Account it is stated that "there was no such thing to be seen as trees or hedges in the parish; all was naked and open".The popular pastime of geocaching is represented on the nature walk by a hidden cache which contains a log book for visitors' comments and a 'take something and leave something choice'.
The main Dalgarven Mill buildings
The mill waterwheel after a recent renovation
A trustee leading a guided tour, at the cup and ring marked stone.
A new storage shed and workshop
A painting of Dalgarven Mill showing the main buildings, waterwheel and cottages
A whinstone at Dalgarven Mill, used for crushing Whin or Gorse for use as fodder for cattle
The basic anatomy of a millstone. Note that this is a runner stone. A bedstone would not have the "Spanish Cross" into which the supporting mill rind fits.
A view of the working mill prior to WW2
The Dalgarven Mill cup and ring mark stone. [ 7 ]
Gorse or Whin in full flower in Dalgarven Meadows.
A Giant Hogweed flower in close-up. Do not touch!
The Pink Purslane or Stewarton Flower.
Butterbur in flower.
Water Betony or Green Figwort - the mill's rarest plant species.
An entrance to Cleeve Cove Caves.
KilwinningNorth AyrshirewatermillDalgarvenA737 roadantique shopNational TrustMuseum of ScotlandKilwinning AbbeyRettingRiver GarnockLoudounGalston, East AyrshireCunninghamheadRiver Annickwindow taxre-coinage of William III reignThirlageOS mapLambroughton LochLambroughtonploughingthreshingharvestingsmithyOwl HoleCostumeCostume coordinationUse of costume in Athenian tragedyWardrobe supervisorFursuitCosplayCostume partyMasqueMasquerade ballParadeWorld Costume FestivalCostume designCostume designerSpirit gumBody paintingDisguiseFake moustacheFatsuitIllusion costumeInflatable costumeRubber maskZentaiHalloween costumeSanta suitCostumed performerCreature suitDance costumeDead-character costumeDomino maskGorilla suitKumadoriLeotardPantomime horseStage dressTitan the RobotPlague doctor costumeModern dressSesame StreetZoobilee ZooBatsuitutility beltGhostfaceGirdle of GaeaMonokumaAngels CostumesCostume Designers GuildWestern CostumeLaurence OlivierAcademy AwardAfrica Movie AcademyCritics' ChoiceCésarDavid di DonatelloFilmfareGolden ArenaNational Film AwardRobertSatellite Costume Designers Guild (TV)Costume Designers Guild (fantasy)Centre National du Costume de SceneCostume Museum of CanadaKastoria Costume MuseumDevonshire Collection of Period CostumeKorea Museum of Modern CostumeMuseum of the History of the Greek CostumePortugal National Museum of Costume and FashionScotland National Museum of Costumebee skepquoitsvacuum cleanerswashing machinesblacksmithscast-ironmilestonepetroglyphcup and ring markNeolithicBronze AgeFossillimestonetree fernkingfisherConopodium majusHemlock water dropwortPetasites hybridusHimalayan balsamGiant hogweedClaytonia sibiricaStewartonTaphrina padiCoppicinghornbeamWater BetonySustransClyde Muirshiel Regional ParkJohnstoneGlasgowCleeves Cove cavegeocachingNether MillBallochmyle cup and ring marksBarburgh MillColdstream MillMeikle Millbank MillMuseum of Scottish Country LifeStaddle stonesMuseumsart galleriesScotlandNational Museums ScotlandNational Museum of ScotlandNational Museum of FlightNational Museum of Rural LifeNational Museums Collection CentreNational War MuseumNational Galleries ScotlandModern TwoRoyal Scottish Academy BuildingScottish National GalleryScottish National Gallery of Modern ArtScottish National Portrait GalleryAberdeen Art GalleryBroughton GalleryBurrell CollectionCity Art CentreDick InstituteDundee Contemporary ArtsFruitmarket GalleryGallery of Modern ArtGeorgian HouseGracefield Arts CentreGroam House MuseumHunterian Museum and Art GalleryInverness Museum and Art GalleryKelvingrove Art Gallery and MuseumKirkcaldy GalleriesMeffan InstituteMcLean MuseumMcLellan GalleriesMcManus GalleriesMeigle Sculptured Stone MuseumMontrose MuseumPerth Art GalleryPier Arts CentreStirling Smith Art Gallery and MuseumQueen's GalleryTalbot Rice GalleryTramwayV&A DundeeAlloa TowerBroughty Castle MuseumDavid Livingstone CentreMuseum of ChildhoodProvand's LordshipSurgeons' HallWriters' MuseumAndrew Carnegie Birthplace MuseumAngus Folk MuseumBiggar Museum TrustCampbeltown Heritage CentreClydebank MuseumDumfries MuseumGairloch MuseumGladstone's LandGlenesk Folk MuseumHighland Folk MuseumHighland Museum of ChildhoodInveraray JailJohn Knox HouseKing's MuseumMuseum of EdinburghMuseum of the University of St AndrewsNew LanarkNorth Lanarkshire Heritage CentreOld Haa MuseumThe Orkney MuseumPeople's PalacePeople's Story MuseumPier House MuseumProvost Skene's HouseScalloway MuseumScotland Street School MuseumShetland MuseumSignal Tower MuseumSkye Museum of Island LifeSt Andrews MuseumStewartry MuseumStonehaven TolboothStromness MuseumTain & District MuseumTangwick Haa MuseumThe Tolbooth, AberdeenAberdeen Maritime MuseumBöd of GremistaDiscovery PointHMS UnicornHMY BritanniaMull of Galloway LighthouseMuseum of Scottish LighthousesScottish Fisheries MuseumScottish Maritime MuseumSkerryvore Lighthouse MuseumThe Tall ShipBlack Watch MuseumDumfries and Galloway Aviation MuseumFort George & The Highlanders MuseumGordon Highlanders MuseumJohn Paul Jones Cottage MuseumMontrose Air Station Heritage CentreMorayviaOrkney Wireless MuseumScapa Flow MuseumD'Arcy Thompson Zoology MuseumGeorge Waterston Memorial Centre and MuseumMarischal MuseumBlairs MuseumDunblane MuseumScalanScottish Jewish Heritage CentreSt Mungo Museum of Religious Life and ArtBarry MillMills ObservatoryMuseum on the MoundPrestongrange Industrial Heritage MuseumRobert Smail's Printing WorksScotland’s Jute Museum @ Verdant WorksSummerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial LifeR&A World Golf MuseumScottish Football MuseumDundee Museum of TransportGrampian Transport MuseumMuseum of Scottish RailwaysMyreton Motor MuseumRiverside MuseumScottish Vintage Bus Museum