Former site of a mill dam in Silverton

Image: © Lairich Rig Taken: 24 Dec 2019

The view is from the northeastern end of Lennox Road. The large grassy space ahead is divided unequally by the footpath shown here (see Image for a view from there, looking to the left or northwest). The smaller part, on the right, contains a play area. Much of that whole grassy expanse was once the site of a mill dam. The body of water is shown but not named on the first-edition map (surveyed 1860—61), bisected by the Parliamentary Boundary: https://maps.nls.uk/view/74941048 The 1896—97 map revision — https://maps.nls.uk/view/82875684 — labels it a "dam", and shows a sluice at its northwestern end, as does the 1914 map revision — https://maps.nls.uk/view/82874268 — which labels it "Mill Dam". The 1937 map revision — https://maps.nls.uk/view/82874271 — shows the former site of the dam with the same outline, but containing marshy ground rather than water. By that time, the housing that is presently (2020) to the south and west of this area was in place. Note, on the 1914 map revision, the "Crosslet Path" that approached the dam from the west. The 1937 revision shows part of that path running along what had been the southwestern perimeter of the dam, although the section of path approaching from the west had by then been realigned on account of the building of houses. As should be clear from, in particular, the 1937 map, the mill dam did not occupy all of the area now covered in grass. It occupied about half of that space. Only one lobe of the dam extended out of what is now grass, reaching roughly to what is now a house about 60 metres NNE of the centre of the play area. In relation to the present photograph, that is the house just to the right of the far end of the footpath, seen with a black bin directly in front of it. The mill served by the mill dam was, I can only guess, the one labelled "Dumbarton Mill (grain)" on the first-edition map. On the way, it passed a "rope and sailcloth factory", with a conspicuously long "rope walk". In terms of modern structures, the old mill was located at Strathleven Place, somewhere around Image At present, the most noticeable feature there is a short path between buildings, much used by people going between the main road (Strathleven Place / Bonhill Road) and St James Retail Park; it is shown in Image Part of the burn itself remains open, and can be seen running SSW from the location just mentioned: Image

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0