Juniper Green Mills - an Artist's View

Kinleith Mill Dam

You'll reach Kinleith Mill Dam after about 500 metres on the Walkway. You'll probably hear the water on the dam before you see it. Kinleith Mill opened as a paper mill in 1792, having previously been a waulk mill since 1618. It became the biggest of the local mills and the 5th largest paper mill in Scotland. It was the originator of "Featherweight" paper, which became popular internationally for book production. In addition to the home market, it exported to America and Japan. The mill closed in 1966 and has now been demolished and redeveloped as housing. One of the few things to survive is the dam featured in Edwin's painting. You can also see the lade on your left before you reach the houses. It's a bit overgrown now but still channels a little water downstream towards the mill site.

Use the arrow at the side of the picture to see photos of the dam as it is today and of the mill before it was demolished. The pictures below have similar arrows to see more.

East Mill Snuff Mill

Beyond the new houses on the site of Kinleith Mill, the walkway passes under a road to reach the site of the 3 East Mills. Just past the road there was a grain mill of which one building remains, now a private dwelling. The mill was built in 1625 and in use until 1900 when it burnt down. As you pass the house you can see the remains of the lade running parallel with the Walkway on your left. Just a little further on, the walkway crosses the river and we can see the sites of the other 2 East Mills. The Snuff Mill shown in Edwin's painting was on our left immediately before crossing the river. It operated from 1749, when snuff taking was increasingly popular, until 1920 when demand had fallen away. It was then used by Edinburgh Scouts for a while, before being demolished sometime after Edwin painted it in 1936. Directly opposite the site of the Snuff Mill is the mill house of East Mill Bank Mill, now a private dwelling. This was a barley mill, built around 1800. It was disused by 1842 and later destroyed by fire.

Woodhall Paper Mill

About 100 metres after crossing the river, the walkway reaches the site of Woodhall Paper Mill. It was originally a lint mill in the early 1700s, but converted to a paper mill in 1792. Later it also made cardboard and is sometimes referred to as Woodhall Board Mill. It closed in 1984 and has now been demolished. The mill site is on our right as we continue along the walkway. Look back along the access road on the right to get a feel for the viewpoint of Edwin's painting, which was painted in 1944.

Juniper Green Station

A little further along the walkway there's a road on our left that goes up the hill to Juniper Green. It used to be called Station Brae and provided access to Juniper Green Station, but now it's called Baberton Loan. The station closed in 1958, initially being replaced by a dispatch shed for Woodhall Paper Mill. The shed was converted into housing in 2016. Just past the buildings you'll see black railings on both sides of the Walkway. If you turn round there, you'll see the modern equivalent of the view Edwin painted in 1944. The main railway line was on the Walkway, with the station platform separating it from some sidings on the right. The Woodhall Mill chimney was visible in the background.

Watt's Snuff Mill

At the same spot is the site of Watt's Snuff Mill, also known as Woodhall Bank Snuff Mill. This dates from 1763 and was the last working snuff mill in Scotland, closing in 1940. Some stonework from the mill survives in a gully underneath the Walkway by the black railings. Edwin's watercolour sketch is undated but probably dates from the early 1930s. It shows the lade entering the back of the mill. The lade came from the river upstream of the station and returned to it through the gully underneath the railway track.

Flour Mill Dam

Proceeding downstream, the river curves gently to the right. As houses become visible in the distance, the remains of a dam can be seen as the river turns tighter to the right. This was a favourite scene for Edwin and he painted it several times. Three such paintings, all entitled "Flour Mill Dam, Juniper Green", are shown in the slide show. Little remains of the dam today, but its location is still clearly visible. The flat ground on the other side of the river here, called the Haugh, was where people from Juniper Green played football in the early 1900s.

Woodhall Grain Mill

Just past the dam we reach the site of the mill it belonged to, Woodhall Grain Mill. This sat on the approximate site of Curriemuir Mill, which was originally known as Denholm's Mill when it opened in 1704. Latterly it was also known as Inglis Mill. Phew, it's difficult to keep track of all those mill names! The last incarnation, Inglis Mill, closed in 2001 and was replaced by the "Woodhall Mill" housing development in 2005. Edwin painted 2 pictures of it, and a rather nice sketch, in the mid-1940s. They're all in the slide show.

Mossy Mill

At the far end of the Woodhall Mill housing, the walkway passes under a massive concrete viaduct carrying the City Bypass. Just past the Bypass there's a well-preserved dam, followed by a pipe and then a footbridge that cross the river. The dam is where the lade for Mossy Mill started, and the pipe and footbridge lead to the mill site. Mossy Mill was originally a waulk mill, founded in 1664. Its name derives from one of the founders, William Mosie. It converted to a paper mill in 1838, eventually closing as a mill in 1972 and being demolished for housing in 1999. Edwin made a painting from this side of the water, showing a mill building on the far bank. Also a pen-and-ink drawing and another painting, both of which look down upon Mossy Mill from the high ground behind us. Of course the Bypass wasn't present then! You'll notice the second painting has a very unique style. Its style sits somewhere between the landscapes you see in this story and surrealist-inspired avant-garde works for which he's best known in the art world.

Upper Spylaw Mill

About 200 metres past the footbridge we come to a big house on the right that used to be Upper Spylaw Mill. This is believed to date from 1681 or 1682 when it was one of the earliest paper mills in Scotland. By 1765 it had converted to a snuff mill and also had a reputation as being an inn frequented by smugglers. It was searched by excise men on a couple of occasions, finding a large stash of tea and brandy in 1776. It converted to a dairy around 1880, and had a few different uses until becoming a private dwelling in 1960. Edwin's painting has Upper Spylaw Mill in the distance, the brown building with 3 chimneys, to the left of the big red chimney. Its viewpoint is high on the bank we've passed, up above the modern Bypass. It also has Mossy Mill, with its red chimney, and the footbridge we passed (Edwin's painted it in red). He obviously had fun painting this and it's not exactly a realistic representation! The old photo in the slideshow has a slightly similar viewpoint to the painting. We can see Upper Spylaw Mill with its 3 chimneys, and the footbridge at the bend in the railway line. The Mossy Mill owner's/manager's house is prominent, sticking above the trees, but Mossy Mill itself is pretty much hidden by trees. That photo was taken around 1920 and the large building and chimney that feature in Edwin's paintings and drawing were built later.

Possible exit route

That's the last of the mills in this story. You may wish to carry on along the walkway towards Colinton, or retrace your steps to the start, but here's how you could take the shortest route back to Lanark Road (the A70) to get a number 44 or 45 bus. Turn round and back track to the footbridge shortly before the Bypass. There's a path up the bank on the right. This is the route many Mossy Mill workers used to take to/from work. The path goes up a flight of steps to Lanark Road.