Dunira Sawmill

The Dunira Sawmill is a water-powered sawmill complex, built in varying dates from the 19th century and refurbished around 1995. A sawmill was present on the site by the mid-19th century, with extensions added later in the century. The main mill building is in an L-shape. It is constructed of rubble whinstone masonry and limestone piers, some of which have concrete repairs, with timber-boarded walls and a gable with a distinctive chevron pattern. The roof is of graded grey Aberuchill slates, with cast-iron rooflights. A projecting open loading bay with a corrugated-iron roof extends to the north, with an M-gable shape. The south elevation faces a lade (a mill race), and is open on the right to reveal the wheel pit. A cast-iron water wheel, 14 feet in diameter, is in place, with 32 wooden, L-shaped paddles. Original gearing remains. Evidence suggests a previous pitched-roof extension once existed to the northwest.

Inside the mill, a timber deck and supporting struts form a conveyor belt system, and cast-iron gearing connects to the power source, with shafts and drives still in place beneath the floor. The roof is open timbered, supported by timber posts and cross beams, with remnants of a former timber frame that once carried overhead drive machinery.

The lade has an early cast concrete bed and sides, and includes a cast-iron bypass sluice that received extensive repairs in approximately 1995.

The weir (dam) was built in the earlier-mid 19th century and consists of a timber-framed grid set into a roughly dressed stone bed. It is 24 metres wide, set at an angle to the river, with a sloping face rising 1.2 metres. An artificial levee (embankment) is located 140 metres upstream, featuring an oak-boarded palisade channel that directs water flow to feed the weir.

To the southwest of the mill, a gabled timber-boarded woodstore with a corrugated-iron roof and fixed windows is present. Racks are also situated to the southwest; these consist of open timber piers with cross struts and pitched corrugated-iron roofs. A similarly constructed varnish store sits nearby.

The current water wheel was apparently moved from the Comrie Cornmill and is 3 feet larger in diameter. The lade and wheel pit were subsequently modified to accommodate its increased size and output. The complex is related to the Aberuchill sawmill.