A major phase of works draws to a close at Catrine Heritage Project in Ayrshire.

Nowadays quiet, the small Ayrshire town of Catrine has a long and vibrant history connected with milling cotton, and was at the forefront of 19th century technology when two enormous water wheels known as ‘the Lions of Catrine’ were installed. Originally built by the mill owners as a model village for their workers, today Catrine comprises an eclectic mix of historic buildings and modern housing, through which old waterways known as ‘voes’ still thread their way – though the mills themselves are long gone. A weir dating from the 1700s, the last known ‘crib and plank’ weir in Britain and a Scheduled Ancient Monument, diverts water from the River Ayr.

The community was hit hard when the mills closed and further disadvantaged with reductions in local coal mining. With high unemployment and few new opportunities there was no money to look after disused buildings and waterways until the Community Trust hit on the idea of renovating the 1950s hydro plant and selling electricity to sustain improvements.

Following two years of fund raising and 18 months of construction the Trust has recorded and capped the old weir, has restored the voes, has converted the former mill manager’s house and adjacent church into offices and a visitor centre, and is about to reassemble the generators and connect to the grid.

Smith & Garratt were appointed as Project Co-ordinators by the Catrine Community Trust in 2014 to oversee and assist with meeting conditions of funding.

The project establishes a heritage centre with sustainable funding from office lets and sales of electricity. The Catrine Community Trust has been ably served by its officers Hugh Hutchison and Bob Pirrie. Covanburn Contracts restored the weir and infrastructure; CCG (Scotland) Ltd undertook the office and visitor centre conversions. Funding for the £3.2m project has been provided by SRDP, the Heritage Lottery Fund, LEADER, Catrine Community Trust Volunteers, Cumnock & Doon Valley Minerals Trust, Big Lottery and East Ayrshire Council.

“This is an example of the amazing things that can be achieved when communities come together,” says Hugh Garratt (Project Co-ordinator). “The Catrine Community Trust has won support from countless people to pull off this technically difficult project. It has been a privilege to play a small part and I look forward to meeting more of the contributors at the official opening on St Andrews Day.”

Find out more about Catrine and the work of the Community Trust: http://www.catrine.org.uk/