Main Mill, Weaving Factory, 187-189 Old Rutherglen Road, Glasgow

The Main Mill, a cotton mill built between 1816 and 1817, is located at 187-189 Old Rutherglen Road in Glasgow. It features a six-storey structure with a five-by-twenty-one bay layout, constructed from brick with a stone base course and eaves cornices. The central portions of each side elevation are slightly advanced. The elevation facing the road has five bays, with the left bay containing stairs and the right bay housing a hoist that remains in place, complete with doors on each floor below. Another hoist is positioned to the west, also with doors still intact. The eastern side has twelve bays, while the western side has nine bays that retain the original brick walls, windows, and cornice. A further five western bays, which lead to the lift shaft, are a more modern rebuild but maintain the original window pattern and front the original iron-framed interior. The exterior has been significantly altered to the north of the lift shaft, where the four northern bays are narrower due to the removal of a large engine house. The ground floor still retains part of the old arcaded boiler house, and there is a square stack. The attic is mostly from the 20th century, except for the southern bay, which has the original wood and slate roof. Most windows are iron-framed top-hoppers, wood or iron casement, or modern replacements.

Inside, the mill features an iron-framed structure with two rows of cast-iron Doric columns, which are thicker on the ground and first floors than on the upper levels. Cast-iron beams support low brick-arched ceilings and fittings for line shafting. The southern bay includes a spiral stair, with iron beams oriented at right angles to those in the rest of the mill, and retains the original wooden roof. The southern wing of the mill, located at 203 Old Rutherglen Road, was built between 1817 and 1821 and is an L-plan, four-storey, ten-bay brick structure with a stone base and large central arch cart entrance. The ground and first floors have been modernized for office use, while the second and third floors still feature cast-iron columns, lengthwise wooden beams, and supports for the former line shafting. The wooden attic is free of columns, and each floor connects with the southern bay of the main mill.