ALMOST A DECADE after being earmarked for demolition, Stanley Mills is set to undergo the final multi-million-pound part of its restoration.

Probably the finest surviving example of an Arkwright cotton mill and one of the most important remnants of Britain’s industrial age, the mills were rescued by Historic Scotland—and with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund are now ready to enter their final £3 million stage of conservation adaptation.

By next year they will spin into life once more with a new interactive visitor and education centre.

Once completed the Bell mill—the most historically significant building at the site—and part of the Mid Mill will not only be restored but crammed with interactive displays, exhibits, images and historical artefacts relating to the diverse past.

Visitors will be able to try out scale-model water wheels to harness the power of rushing water, discover if they would have been nimble enough to work on the machines and even see if they weigh more than a large bag of cotton.

Chris Watkins, head of major projects at Historic Scotland, said, “We are excited to be entering the final stage of this ambitious project.

“Stanley Mills has a fascinating story to tell, and will give people of all ages the opportunity to discover more about its role in the community as well as provide an intriguing insight into life in the industrial age.

“The completed scheme will also provide extensive education and community facilities which will be available for school groups.

The buildings are grade A listed and have been in the care of Historic Scotland since 1995.

Since then the agency has been working to conserve the buildings on the site and provide a mixed-use development sensitive to its historic importance.

Founded in 1785, the mill only went out of use in 1989.

At the height of productivity it employed over 800 staff and produced everything—from straightforward cotton textiles to webbings for the armed forces in the first world war to bookbinding and even cigarette machine tapes in more recent times.

The most fascinating part of Stanley Mills, however, is the innovative—for the time—water spinning process developed by Richard Arkwright, father of the modern factory system in the 18th century and pioneered at Stanley.

After trouble in his factories in the south, he headed north to “seek a razor to shave Manchester”—the centre of the cotton industry—and decided there was nowhere better to build a mill than on the banks of the Tay.

The East Mill and most of Mid Mill have been converted into flats and townhouses by the Phoenix Trust.

The new visitor centre and education rooms are scheduled to open in April, 2008.