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Polton
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Springfield Mills 100 years ago |
At
one time, there were two paper mills in Polton adding their belching
smoke to the total of four mill chimneys along the length of the
Lasswade valley. Their buildings are now demolished, the grounds
of one soon to become a wildlife site. The weir which provided the
head of water to power that mill can be seen - and heard - looking
down from the top of the Hewan Bank near the Maiden Castle - but
with great care, as the Bank is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
for the geology of its glacial deposits and is subject to regular
erosion and landslides. The footpaths in this area have been extensively
upgraded to avoid damage to the Bank.
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Firknowes Path |
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site of Springfield Mills today |
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Mavisbank grounds |
Nearby
is Mavisbank House, once one of Scotland's finest buildings. Designed
by William Adam for Sir John Clerk as a summer residence and at
a convenient travelling distance from Edinburgh while he was working
there, it sits on the wooded slope of the Esk valley surrounded
by landscaped parklands. From the late 19th century until 1951 it
was used as a hospital for the mentally ill but later, back in private
ownership, it was gutted by fire in 1973. The house is now a sad
ruin but remnants of the 'Designed Landscape' still remain and there
is greater public interest in their future after the recent 'Restoration'
TV series.
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Mavisbank House |
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the falls at Polton |
one of the Polton weirs |
the river at Polton |
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the old Polton Bridge |
On
the opposite bank of the river is De Quincey Cottage named after
the eccentric writer Thomas De Quincey who made his home there from
1840 until 1859. The single track skewed steel bridge which took
travellers and mill workers over the river for decades was replaced
by a new concrete bridge in 2006.
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the new bridge |
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| Temple |