Events
We have regular events throughout the year including talks, quizzes, crafting and music
Cafe
Our vegetarian cafe offers fair trade tea and coffee, home baking and innovative recipes
Shop
We sell Fair Trade food and crafts, support Scottish producers, and have a wide range of Zero Waste products
Volunteer With Us
Come and join us!
Find out about our volunteering opportunities at Gavin's Mill
Charity
Our charity owns the Mill and is responsible for everything that goes on here
Heritage
We are working to preserve and develop Gavin's Mill as a resource for the community
Gavin's Mill Gifts
Choose an ethical gift for a loved one and support projects in the UK and abroad
Contact
Get in touch with us by phone or email, or come and visit Gavin's Mill
Our Heritage:
the story of
Gavin's Mill
Welcome to Gavin’s Mill – the home of Gavin’s Mill Community Project, a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation – SCIO, and its trading company, At Gavin’s Mill Ltd.
As a charity, we are committed to:
Looking after Gavin’s Mill and preserving it for future generations.
Making the Mill a communal resource for local people and organisations.
Promoting fair trade and climate justice.
Supporting communities here and overseas.
Providing education and training.
Protecting the environment where we can.
At Gavin’s Mill Ltd guarantees all its profits to Gavin’s Mill Community Project to support these activities. The company runs a shop and café at Gavin’s Mill, selling and serving goods that are:
Fairly traded.
Sustainable.
Local.
There’s a popular and varied calendar of events taking place all year round, to entertain and inform our customers and to support our charity—talks, workshops, music, supporting the charity and its aims. They include musical evenings, quizzes, workshops, “how to” events, crafting, book talks, and our very successful art exhibitions which feature local artists.
Our History
Early Days
When the Balmore Coach House, a source of foods, gifts, and stalls for supporters of fair trade for some 40 years, announced in 2016 that it would close, a small group of enthusiasts decided that “Something would have to be done!” and set about creating the charity and trading company that became Gavin’s Mill Community Project and At Gavin’s Mill Ltd. In December 2016, Gavin’s Mill was empty and semi-derelict. Even so, the group negotiated a lease for 3 years with an option to buy the building at the end of that time. We gained entry in mid-January 2017 – it was exceedingly cold! A major cleanup was organized – around 40 volunteers put in enormous amounts of time and energy to clear rubbish, scrub, paint, and prepare the shop and café furnishings. In only 5 weeks, all was ready and on March 1st, 2017, Gavin’s Mill was opened by Sally Magnusson.
2020 – An Eventful Year
On February 22nd, 2020, heavy rain on the already saturated catchment area caused the Allander Water to flood during the night. The ground floor of Gavin’s Mill was knee-deep in water, leaving the café, toilets, and storage areas covered in silt, and stores and equipment ruined. The Great Cleanup followed – more volunteer magic had all areas deep cleaned and the café open again in just a few days.
The first Covid lockdown in March 2020 meant the shop and café had to close, leaving dated stock on the shelves. Some rapid web development resulted in an online shop opening in April with click and collect for collection on Thursdays during a two-hour slot and home delivery by volunteers and later by e-bike. Over our first few years, we had collected £185,000 to buy Gavin’s Mill for the community from local people’s donations, grants, and legacies and a loan from Social Investment Scotland enabled us to buy the building.
Having surmounted all the legal and logistical obstacles, on July 1st, 2020, Gavin’s Mill Community Project finally became the owner of Gavin’s Mill. The celebrations were muted by Covid. In September 2020, Gavin’s Mill Café opened outside, serving from the main doorway with socially distanced seating on the terrace and front decking. Further lockdowns disrupted the business through the winter but government grants supported us and enabled us to give the café a facelift in spring 2021.
Developing the Mill Building and Grounds
In September 2021, Gavin’s Mill Community Project was able to purchase the Wheel Courtyard thanks to a grant from the Scottish Government. It was cleaned and refurbished and was ready for visitors by the end of the month. Early 2022 saw flood defenses installed – a watertight back door and flood barriers at the main café doors and terrace doors. Unfortunately, the walls of the Mill are porous so we still get some flooding when the river is very high. In 2023, we refurbished the Front Garden Patio and it was ready for the first customers in November 2023. Over the summer of 2024, the shop was refurbished to improve display flexibility in the main shop and extend the Zero Waste provision. The shop counter was rebuilt with an area behind it for processing stock. The refit was completed in August 2024.
Education and Training
In October 2022, Gavin’s Mill Community Project was awarded funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to start a Hospitality and Catering course for young people struggling at school and in December 2023, we were awarded 3 years funding from The Robertson Trust to continue the Hospitality and Catering courses. In September 2024, a new cookery course started, funded by East Dunbartonshire Social Enterprise Support Fund. In May 2023, we started working alongside the Adam Smith Business School of Glasgow University with their students and were awarded an internship student to help with marketing. In May 2024, we were awarded a Glasgow University internship to help with the website and in October 2024, the new website was launched.
Our Heritage
Gavin’s Mill is an ancient Corn Mill on the banks of the Allander Water in the small town of Milngavie just north of Glasgow. The present structure of Gavin’s Mill is estimated to date to the 1700s, making it one of the oldest buildings in Milngavie. Located on the banks of the Allander, the building began its life as a corn mill milling mainly oats but also barley. This iconic building was at one point a central focus of life in Milngavie with local farmers required to mill their grain here.
Renovation and Reconstruction
The building underwent reconstruction in the early 19th century when the more efficient overshot wheel was brought into use, with a lade bringing the water from further upstream to the wheel in its present position. The building remained a working water mill until 1957, when the last miller retired. After a fire around 1960 the roof and interior floors were lost and the building lay derelict for some 10 years.
That was until the 1970s when the architect, Bert Morris, bought the roofless building and converted it into his studio. The rescue efforts included building a second floor, a mezzanine, and a small garret. His careful work gave the building a new lease of life, providing much of the interior we see today. The building once again became a hub of activity in Milngavie with many local residents remembering the tea rooms, boutiques, and restaurants that occupied the space until 2014.
Gavin’s Mill Community Project revived the building in 2017, after it lay empty and derelict for three years, and continues to make improvements to the iconic structure, re-establishing the Mill!
