Description
Earlier and mid 19th century farm complex with some later additions. Earlier 19th century work possibly by David Hamilton. Farmhouse to immediate W of complex (see separate listing, now in separate occupation). Large, 9-bay, rectangular plan, double height mill, grain store and cartshed building to N with distinctive pointed arched openings. Earlier 20th century, adjoining 3-bay cattle court to S. U-shaped steading incorporating byre, stable, bothy, earlier cattle court and smiddy adjoining to S of later cattle court. Coursed, tooled ashlar to N and W elevations of mill building; snecked, squared rubble to W and S; raised ashlar dressings; stone cills and raised strip quoins. Random rubble to other buildings, re-pointed in places.
MILL & GRAIN STORE: N (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: large, depressed-arched cartshed opening to centre; timber boarded, double door; raised, moulded ashlar surround; pointed-arched windows flanking at 1st floor. Winnowing doors to left and right sides with flanking, pointed-arched windows at ground and 1st floor; later, timber and glass infill to windows. E ELEVATION: 3-bay gable end, largely obscured by later, corregated iron agricultural shelter. Pointed-arched window to gable head, pointed arched windows to left and right bays at ground and 1st floors, plain, raised skews to gable. S (REAR) ELEVATION: elevation mostly hidden by later, adjoining cattle court. Pointed arched windows to ground and 1st floor, located within cattle court; double doorway linking mill building and cattle court to centre of elevation. Round horse engine formerly located to outer left corner of elevation; some damage to wall where gearing formerly penetrated into mill. W ELEVATION: gable end. Doorway to ground floor right, with 2 pointed arched windows to left. Central winnowing door at 1st floor with flanking, large, pointed arched windows. 3 narrow pointed arched openings to upper gable in triangular arrangement; 2 off-centre left and right with 1 to upper gable centre. INTERIOR: interior damaged by fire, late 20th century. Now refitted with modern farming equipment. Some original timbers to drying loft in W end. Pointed arched windows with splayed sides; limewashed rubble finish to walls.
CATTLE COURT, E ELEVATION: 3-bay, triple gabled elevation. Large rectangular cart openings to left and central gables (set to far left and far right respectively); timber boarded sliding doors hung from timber runners.
W ELEVATION: 5-bay covered cart area, set in front of cattle court. Continuous I-section steel beam spanning between mill building to N and byre to S with 4 supporting cast iron columns at regular intervals. Pitched roof linking to W cattle court wall with roofs from E elevation piended at right angles. Two large sliding cart doors on timber runners to centre and far right of W cattle court wall. INTERIOR: court subdivided into stable accommodation with timber fencing. Some original cast iron columns (as exterior) supporting main roof joists.
STEADING: U-plan steading accommodating byre and stables to N; stables and bothy to E; smiddy and cattle court to S. N BLOCK, OUTER ELEVATION: elevation partly masked by adjoining cattle court. Later 20th century cartshed opening with corrugated iron canopy to left; timber boarded sliding double door to right. COURTYARD ELEVATION: largely plain; round, evenly spaced terracotta vents to upper wall; rectangular slit vents to lower wall. Single doorway with flanking window to far right; timber runner above doorway, sliding door replaced by modern stable door. E BLOCK, OUTER ELEVATION: plain elevation; later brick lean-to shelter to far right. COURTYARD ELEVATION: 4-bay stable to left; bothy to far right. Sliding timber door to 3rd stable bay; windows to remaining bays. Simple doorway with fanlight to bothy with window to left.
S BLOCK, OUTER ELEVATION: square plan smiddy set forward to right with cattle court to left. Plain elevations to both buildings; window opening to left return of smiddy. Cattle court S wall rebuilt above mid-height. COURTYARD ELEVATION: Smiddy set back to left; 3-bay cattle court to right. doorway to smiddy;
single doorway to cattle court with flanking double doorways; timber sliding, hanging doors to all openings on continuous timber runner. W ELEVATION: Gable end of N jamb to left with later cartshed door. Plain end elevation of S jamb to right.
Statement of Special Interest
Mumrills Farm is an old farming settlement, dating to at least the 18th century, with the present buildings dating from the earlier 19th century. The mill and cartshed building can be considered amongst the finest agricultural buildings in the Falkirk area, unusual for its fine ashlar stonework and pointed arch windows, and may be the work of David Hamilton, one of the most eminent Scottish architects of the 19th century. The farm is located on a prominent site above the E side of Falkirk, and is clearly visible from the wide, surrounding area, including the M9 motorway. The oldest part of the farm is the mill and cartshed building on the N of the site, which first appears on an 1825 map of the lands of Mumrills and Maukinlees. This building originally had a circular mill ring adjoining on its S elevation, which was later removed. An earlier map from 1806 does not show this building, but instead a smaller steading just to the W of where it would be built. The next map available dates from 1865, and shows the L-shape byre and stables and the original cattle court, to the S edge of the present settlement.
The smiddy is not marked on this drawing, and the cattle court has additional buildings adjoining to the NW which have now been removed. It is not until the 1920s Ordnance Survey map that the complex appears in its present form, with the mill building to the N being linked to the S byre and stable buildings by the large, 3-bay cattle court,
the mill ring being removed from the N building to make way for the new addition.
Mumrills Farm today (2005) forms part of the Callendar estate, however it is marked on the early 19th century plans as being part of the Kinneil Estate. The farm passed into the possession of the Kerse estate during the earlier 19th century and was farmed by a Mr Robert Walker at this time, who also built the adjoining farmhouse, Mumrills House (see separate listing). Upon Mr Walker's death, the affairs of the house and farm appear to have been run by the factor of the Kerse estate, John Borthwick, as shown by receipts dated 1835 in the Kerse estate archive. The N mill and cartshed building shares many similarities with the stable block at Callendar House, also thought to be the work of Hamilton and is of contemporary date. Mumrills House may also be his work, as this too is similar to other villas Hamilton designed.