Stanley Mills

Enjoy a hi-tech visitor experience at one of the Industrial Revolution’s best-preserved sites, Stanley Mills, on the banks of the River Tay.

In the 1780s, local merchants set up the mill on a hairpin bend of the river – where immense water power was available – with funding and support from the English cotton baron Richard Arkwright.

The mill machinery was powered initially by waterwheels, and later by electricity from water-powered turbines. Mill buildings were added and adapted as the industry and its technology evolved, and textiles were produced here for more than 200 years before the mills finally closed in 1989.

Today, you can visit Stanley Mills for an interactive tour of the premises and hear the stories of the people – mostly women and children – who worked here. Listen to the din of the factory floor, learn how engineers turned water into a valuable source of power, and see the machinery that transformed raw cotton into products that were exported from Scotland around the world.

Booking your visit online in advance is recommended – children under 5, Historic Scotland members, and carers who accompany visitors with disabilities all receive free entry.

Look out, too, for Stanley Mills’ annual events programme featuring special exhibitions and other attractions occurring throughout the year.