What is The Orry Mill?Updated 3 months ago

What is 'The Orry Mill' ?

The name ‘The Orry Mill’ refers to the open space in Eaglesham known as ‘The Orry’ (Old Scots for 'area') in which there are the remains of a cotton mill.

The mill and the village were designed by Lord Alexander Eglinton, but built by his brother Archibald. The Eglinton family were responsible for a series of cotton mills and key agricultural developments throughout the late 18th and early 19th Century.  

The area of Busby, Eaglesham, Clarkston and Newton Mearns are south of the city of Glasgow in Scotland.  As small villages they all had water powered cotton mills, and this drove the development of these villages, the buildings, geography and layout as we see it now.

The Village of Eaglesham

Eaglesham is on the edge of Greater Glasgow in the region of East Renfrewshire.  It is well known as a destination village with pubs, restaurants, gift shops a bi-annual village fair, annual beer festival, amateur football team, golf club and bowling club and generally a lovely place to live and visit even for a day.

The village was originally built around a cotton mill and what remains is a large green space with a burn (stream) carving through a mix of woodland and open space.  Houses built on the edge have ancient rites to graze their sheep and cows or even hang washing, however that is yet to be tested and the space is a community and public park.  It is well worth a visit any time of year for a pub lunch, ice cream and coffee or just a stroll up to the reservoir at the top of the village.

The Eglinton Arms Hotel

Eaglesham Parish Church - there are Covenanter graves, as well as families, lost to the sinking of the Lusitania

Montgomery Street is one side of the letter A that forms the shape of the village.  Named after the Montgomery family who hold the seat of the Earls Of Eglinton.

The Village was built around the mill in the shape of the letter 'A' after the the Eglinton brothers Alexander and Archibald.