Mansell has completed a £1.9 million heritage project for the Knockando Wool Mill Trust who received Heritage Lottery Funding to allow them to redevelop the mill, saving the A-listed buildings and machinery from imminent collapse.

The Knockando Wool Mill is a working spinning and weaving mill which has been in continuous production since around 1784 and is considered to be of international significance as one of the few surviving small scale working woollen mills in the world.

Sitting on the banks of the River Spey in Banffshire, the wider site comprises of the Wool Mill House, cottage and shop as well as the winter drying shed, waterpower system, tenter posts and byres.

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The building is in a very remote part of the Highlands. The site team led by Site Manager, Allan Frisken, worked through one of the most severe winters on record. Risk assessments were carried out for the removal of bees, bats and Japanese Knotweed.

Care was taken to conserve the existing Grade A-listed buildings whilst carrying out works that included the reinstatement of the original mill building and rebuilding the original water wheel to working condition, providing new intake from the Knockando burn. The wall detailing was even retained with the use of Roman cement (lime mortar) which is often used in heritage projects.

To bring the mill into the 21st Century, improvements were made to the existing housing to current building standards, a small hydro power plant was installed in the burn and three biomass fuel plants were provided in separate buildings.

(CD)