Grandholm Mills, Aberdeen, Scotland

GRANDHOLM
(recently)

GRIANAM

Grianam -
Sacred to the Sun Goddess -
Circle of Stones -
desecrated...
for the whirl of the wheel
and race
of time,
dancing in and out,
reel to reel;
a thousand Eves,
running up and down
Jacob's Ladder;
Woodside to Grandholm Mills,
where young women weave
rainbow webs,
in the Sun Shop
Hattersleys clatter
cloth for Crombie coats,
for the discerning gentleman
and the foreman calls the tune,
- when Eve span.

At the Crombie Visitor Centre,
faded images of Eve adorn
asset-stripped walls.
Bargain-hunters covet
ransomed remnants.
Behind the scenes,
voices of generations echo
across tentered time and sunlight
filters the web of deserted workshops;
desecrated...
Circle of Stones -
Sacred to the Sun Goddess -
Grianam.

Val Plante

Note: Val Plante has been my contact at the St Nicholas House (Aberdeen) where she is the Search Supervisor.
We have corresponded several times since 2001.  I found her poem at www.springtides@abdn.ac.uk

map of the Grandholm Mills and Woodside area in Aberdeen

These photographs were taken by Carol and Terry Galloway during their visit to Aberdeen in 2001.

in the background, pedestrian bridge
over River Don to Grandholm Mills

 walkway off Don Terrace, located at the end of Don Street, towards Jacob's Ladder and Grandholm Bridge

Grandholm Bridge over River Don

Main Gate at Grandholm Mill
(aka Crombies Mill)

buildings at Grandholm

Grandholm Mills,
the grey structure with the tower is the oldest section

another view of Grandholm Mills

A Little History

In 1858 John Crombie died leaving his two sons, James and John, to continue the association between the name Crombie and fine quality cloths. In 1859 Messrs. J. and J. Crombie Ltd. acquired Grandholm Mills, a former linen works beside the River Don.

In time Grandholm Works grew to become Scotland's largest and best equipped woollen mill. The avowed policy of producing quality cloths and woollen products has ensured the company's existence through to the present day, although production has now been transferred to the company's Scottish Borders mill.

Up until a couple of years ago, there was still a mill shop and museum which were open to visitors on the site. But they suffered a fire and have not been reopened.

There is currently housing being built around the former Mills property.

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