A working model of one of the most important surviving pieces of Scotland’s industrial heritage has been created in Edinburgh for Historic Scotland.

It will be a major exhibit in the new visitor centre at Stanley Mills, outside Perth, which is due to open next year.

The model, which stands 1.6m tall, has been designed to show how the 1786 Bell Mill harnessed the power of the Tay to treat raw cotton and spin it into finished materials for products that were sold all over the world. Visitors will be able to turn a wheel on the side to make the shafts, pulleys and belts work for themselves.

The Bell Mill survives intact today and is part of a larger complex of buildings that grew and developed over 200 years. It is of great historic importance because it is the best-preserved cotton spinning mill directly associated with Richard Arkwright, inventor of the factory system which transformed industrial production.

Peter Yeoman, Historic Scotland Senior Archaeologist, said: ‘This is a wonderful piece of work and will show visitors how the mill operated. It will be among the most important of all sorts of exciting exhibits and displays we are having installed at Stanley Mills. The whole idea is to create a visitor centre that will be a fun, exciting and colourful day out for the whole family.’

Visitors will be able to interact with the displays to understand how the power of the River Tay was harnessed to drive the cotton spinning machines. The focus will also be on the lives of the workers and their families, many of whom originally arrived as a result of the Highland clearances. Immigration continued into the 20th century when many Italians were drawn to Stanley looking for work.

The aim of the model is to demonstrate how machinery transferred the energy from the river vertically to the top of the building. It will also show how raw cotton came in at the top and went through a range of processes before ending up as spun fabric on the ground floor. The model will be fully painted before being put on display.

• The model of the Bell Mill was commissioned from Alan Ramsay architectural model-makers.
  
  
• Stanley Mills is seven miles north of Perth. The former water mill complex harnessed the power of the River Tay for cotton spinning. The first mill was built in 1786 and the last commercial operations ended as recently as 1989.
  
  
• Parts have been transformed into high quality housing. The new visitor centre will make it an important tourist attraction and a centre for community activity.
  
  
• The visitor centre includes a state-of-the-art education area over two floors which has been designed to allow schools and educational groups to carry out a wide variety of study projects.
  
  
• In 1995 Stanley Mills was placed in the care of Historic Scotland which regards the buildings as of such national and international importance that they have a grade A listing to protect them from unwanted change.
  
  
• The Stanley Mills project has involved:
  • Conservation of Arkwright’s Bell Mill. This started in 1996, helped by a £1.4 million Heritage Lottery Grant to meet part of the £2.2 million cost. In 1998 the bell was restored to the tower to mark the completion of this stage of work.
  • Repairing the fire damaged North Range.
  • Redevelopment of the East Mill and the Mid Mill into flats and townhouses by the Phoenix Trust.
  • Repairing the mill lades. This was made possible through a generous grant from the Gannochy Trust, and a contribution from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
  • In May 1998, a further grant of £5 million was awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund to develop public access to the site and provide visitor facilities.
  
  
• The visitor centre will be in the Bell Mill and part of the Mid Mill. It will feature exhibits and displays, many interactive and using the latest technology, to tell the story of the mills. These will include demonstrations of how water mills work as well as sound – and smell – effects to give a sense of what conditions were like. Objects and equipment from the mills will be on display.