Mossmark of Oldmill steading to north, New Cumnock

Mossmark of Oldmill is a traditional agricultural complex dating from between the later 18th century and the early 19th century, though some buildings may be earlier in origin. The complex is roughly U-shaped on plan with a two-storey, four-bay farmhouse at its centre and lower steading ranges adjoining to either side. A single-storey outbuilding, likely a former grain mill, stands detached to the south. The roofs are largely pitched and slated, and the rubble walls are generally finished in painted roughcast render. The buildings largely remain in domestic and agricultural use. The site is set close to the road at a T-junction between Castle Street, the B741 road and Afton Bridgend (A76).

The farmhouse is L-shaped on plan. The main east elevation is roughly symmetrical with a modern glazed porch positioned left-of-centre. The right-hand bay is a later addition, built in the second half of the 19th century, and has larger window openings than the earlier part of the farmhouse. The openings largely have raised and painted margins. The rear west and side south elevations are abutted by lower steading buildings that are likely contemporary with the main house and extend west to form a courtyard.

The range forming the south and west parts of the courtyard is a long, single-storey block, partially in use as a byre, with an irregular U-shaped plan form, a piended roof and a rounded corner to the southeast. There are a series of door and window openings to the main east and south elevations, and a tall red brick chimney to the east wallhead. The north of the courtyard range comprises a rectangular-plan, single-storey block that adjoins the rear west elevation of the main farmhouse. This appears to be of a similar construction date to the main house and is in agricultural use, largely as storage. A higher, rectangular-plan concrete shed adjoins to the west, dating to the 21st century, and is excluded from the listing.

A detached, single-storey, rectangular-plan range lies to the south, likely a former mill building. It is built into a sloping hill site with long east and west elevations approximately 18.5 metres in length. The building is rubble-built with dressed red sandstone margins, some brick infill and a lintel dated 1902. There is a narrow rectilinear pit between the east elevation and the boundary wall, potentially a former wheel pit now overgrown with vegetation, and a concrete lade supported by a brick plinth. There is a short span of rubble boundary wall which is attached.

The roofs are pitched and slated with traditional rooflights to most buildings. The main farmhouse has stone skews, skew putts and three chimneys, two of which are dressed stone, and there are single replacement clay cans. The windows are largely uPVC sliding sashes or casements, but some traditional metal or timber-framed windows remain, along with some timber-boarded doors.

The interiors were seen in 2023. The internal decorative scheme of the farmhouse largely dates to the 20th century. It is plainly detailed with some 19th century fixtures and fittings remaining. These include simple timber panelled doors with decorative brass door plates. The layout comprises a central hallway with a curved stair to the rear, with principal rooms on either side.

The steading buildings are largely open plan with plain interiors comprising concrete floors, rubble walls and exposed timber roof structures. The south steading of the courtyard range has a mix of concrete and red sandstone stall dividers, with metal drinking troughs to each stall. The detached range to the south, the former mill building, has a raised platform and a raised timber grain store, both accessed by timber ladders.

The disused former mill lade runs along the front of the house behind a low boundary wall of ashlar red sandstone with copings and later metal railings. There are two detached agricultural sheds to the north and southwest of the courtyard complex, which date from around the early 21st century and are excluded from the listing.

The exact date of construction of Mossmark of Oldmill farmhouse and its associated buildings is unknown. They likely date from between the later 18th century and the early 19th century, but some may be earlier in origin. The hill to the south of the site is known as Shilling Hill, as this is where grain was thrown into the air to throw the husks off, and a mill has been identified around this location since at least the mid-17th century (John Blaeu's Atlas novus, published in 1654). Water was diverted from Afton Water to fill the mill pond, which then travelled via a mill lade running along the front of Mossmark of Old Mill before draining into the River Nith (Guthrie, 2021). The farm complex is often referred to as Oldmill or Old Mill on historic maps, but the farmhouse also functioned as an inn during the later 18th and early 19th centuries.

Old Mill is depicted on Roy's Military map (1747-55) and a mill building is shown in the location of the present building on Armstrong's map of 1775. Old Mill is again shown on Arrowland's map, published in 1807, and a long rectangular building is shown at the same junction as the present buildings on Thomson's map of 1838. A courtyard-type building is shown adjacent to a number of long rectangular-plan buildings on Macderment and Sons' map of 1852 and is identified as Moss Mack.

The Ordnance Survey Name Book of 1855-57 describes Oldmill as a good farmhouse situated near an old corn mill from which it takes its name. James Wilson is tenant and the Marquis of Bute proprietor. The whole complex is shown in some detail on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map, surveyed 1857 and published 1860. The farmhouse, steading and ancillary buildings are shown broadly as they appear today.

Another mill, a corn mill, and associated mill pond are also shown on this map, located to the southeast of the farmhouse on the opposite side of the road. Often referred to as the new mill, this was likely to have been built to replace the old mill. This mill was demolished in the 1960s, but it was noted that in 1966, it was the only mill in Ayrshire still in full commercial operation that used water-power to grind the corn (Hume, J.R., 1966). Photographs taken in 1966 show the mill with its machinery, prior to demolition.

By the 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map, surveyed 1895 and published 1896, the bowed southeast corner of the south range is clearly shown, and an additional bay has been added to the north end of the farmhouse. There are also some additions to the west and north of the steading range. Around the turn of the century, two further blocks were added to the northwest and southwest of the steading range, as shown on the Ordnance Survey map revised 1908 and published 1909.

The Edinburgh Evening News, 25 January 1893, reported that the auld meal mill in New Cumnock was burned down on 24 January 1893. The Dumfries and Galloway Courier and Herald, 28 January 1893, provided more detail, noting that the auld meal mill's roof fell in, and the mill-stones and other machinery, which were on the second flat, came down also. The auld meal mill likely refers to the detached range to the south of the farmhouse and steading, as the old mill is identified in broadly the same location on historic maps. It is believed that the former mill building was rebuilt in the early 20th century, as the lintel over the main entrance door is dated 1902, but the extent of the fire damage and subsequent rebuilding or repair work is unclear.

By the Ordnance Survey National Grid map, revised 1960 and published 1962, some of the smaller outbuildings have been demolished. In the early 21st century, large agricultural sheds were built to the north and south of the farm and a new block added to the northern courtyard range, all of which are excluded from the listing.