The Granary (former barn), Oldmills Road, Elgin, Elgin, Moray

Description

The Granary is a late-18th century, tall, two-storey, three-bay former barn that was converted to a house sometime in the 1980s. The house is rectangular on plan and is constructed in whitewashed rubble stone with small, squared, chamfered window openings and two entrance openings to the principal (southeast) elevation. There are metal bars to the ground floor window openings and a later, pedimented timber porch over the central entrance door. The northeast gable has a large central window at first floor level (with some infill) and the opposite gable has two, offset window openings that were added around the time of its conversion to a house. The rear (southwest) elevation has a variety of openings of different sizes, including a single, glazed door from the house to the rear garden.

The windows and doors are replacements, probably dating from the 1980s. The windows are in a variety of glazing patterns throughout in timber sash and case frames. Internally, the window openings have deep recesses. The interior decorative scheme is largely of a late-20th / early-21st century date.

The pitched roof is covered in slates with straight skews and plastic rainwater goods. There are later extensions (dating from around 2006) attached to the rear (northwest) elevation of the original barn and a detached store in the rear garden (these are excluded from the listing).

A rubble-built stone wall, of differing heights, bounds the property along Oldmills Road and there is a pedestrian entrance opening with a metal gate.

Historical background

There has been a mill on this site from as early as the 13th century. Oldmill [sic] is shown on Roy's map of 1747-52, however most of the current mill buildings largely date from the late-18th/early-19th century (Canmore).

The Granary is first shown in detail on Wood's map of 1822 as a rectangular-plan building. The footprint of the former barn remained unchanged on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1868. The Ordnance Survey Name Book of 1868-71 describes Old Mills as comprising a farmhouse, steading, several cottages and a flour mill and barley mill, historically owned by the Earl of Fife (OS1/12/11/11).

By the 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1904, the barn had a U-shaped extension added to the rear (northwest) elevation and a detached structure was constructed in front of the building. These later additions were all removed sometime before 1971, except for a small rear outshot which was later replaced by the current extensions.

Photographs, taken in 1975, show the barn prior to its conversion to a dwellinghouse. The building was probably converted in the 1980s, sometime after it was listed in 1981. A window opening was blocked up and two new openings created in the southwest gable, probably to provide better natural light to the staircase. The corrugated iron roof covering was replaced with slates. The window opening in the northeast gable appears to have been infilled at the bottom around the time. The detached store and rear extensions were added in around 2002 and 2006 respectively (and are excluded from the listing).

Statement of Interest

The Granary (formerly known as Old Mills House barn) meets the criteria for listing for the following reasons:

Its architectural form, surviving exterior fabric, including its opening patterns to the front elevation, as well as its setting continues to indicate its historic function associated with milling.

In terms of its setting, it remains a distinctive historic building within the landscape. It is visible from the road and is intervisible with the former mill and its ancillaries.

It forms part of a historic grouping of industrial agricultural buildings dating from the late-18^th century, as part of a much earlier mill site, that was historically important to the local area.

It is a relatively early, surviving example of an 18^th century former barn and continues to illustrate the history of industrial agricultural practices in the area.

In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are proposed to be legally excluded from the listing: later extensions and detached store to rear.

Architectural interest:

Dating from the late-18th century, The Granary is a former barn that was historically part of Oldmills, a cluster of mill and agricultural buildings close to the River Lossie. The surviving fabric, its functional design, and its height and scale continue to convey its historic function relating to the milling of meal. The whitewashed rubble construction with its small window openings on its front elevation is typical for buildings relating to small-scale agricultural industry, but it nonetheless remains a distinctive building within the landscape and is still surrounded by contemporary and historically related structures.

The original rectangular plan footprint of the building survives largely as it is shown on the 1st Edition map of 1868. There has been some change, such as the addition of the timber porch to the front elevation, the formation of new openings in the southwest gable and the addition of replacement windows and doors, however these later alterations have not detracted from the overall late-18th century form and character of the building.

The immediate setting of the former barn, mill and associated contemporary buildings largely remains the same as that shown on the 1st and 2nd Edition maps of 1868 and 1904. The Granary remains intervisible with the former mill, as well as Oldmills House and Oldmills Cottage, and this functional association and historic setting adds to the special architectural and historic interest of the building. This is particularly significant because milling at this site can be traced back to the 13th century.

Historic interest:

The older a building is, and the fewer of its type that survive, the more likely it is to be of special interest. 18th and 19th century mill complexes were once a common building type found widely across Scotland and are typically found in rural or semi-rural communities. Examples which survive and retain their original character are increasingly rare.

The former barn is part of a good grouping of former mill buildings at Oldmills and has an important association with the wider surviving milling heritage of the area. Other mills along the River Lossie that were historically important to the local area include Sheriff Mills (flour, later corn and bone) and Scroggiemill (corn and timber).

The Granary is a relatively early example of a mill-related building for this area, and while now converted to a house, it retains much of its late-18th century design, plan form, setting and overall character as a historic mill building.

The previous listed building record noted this former barn forms a B group with The Mill, Oldmills Road. Former Item 178 (1981 Revised List).

Statutory address and listed building record revised in 2024. Previously listed as 'OLD MILLS ROAD, OLD MILLS HOUSE BARN'.

External Links

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