Stanley Mills

For 200 years, this spectacular mill harnessed the power of the River Tay to produce textiles. Built in the 1780s, the mill complex was altered many times to keep up with the industry’s changing demands, before it finally closed in 1989.

Visitors can hear the clamour of the factory floor, learn how engineers harnessed water power and see the machinery that turned raw cotton into products that were exported from Scotland across the globe.

As you explore the mill buildings, you'll discover the many changes that took place over 200 years of the mill being open. The Bell Mill, one of the world’s oldest surviving factories, is largely unchanged, The Mid Mill, built in the 1820s, is symbolic of an era of expansion. Visitors can also see the lades – a network of waterways used to channel the power of the River Tay

Displays give an insight into the lives of the mill workers, mostly women and children. A stroll around Stanley village, originally built in the 1780s, helps you imagine where the mill workers would have lived.