Going strong since the 19th Century!
Murthly's original sawmill was built in the 19th Century and was water-powered by a series of articifially-created lochs: Robin's Dam, Rohallion Loch and Stare Dam, which flows out into the Mill Dam. This loch system provided power controlled by sluices for the original sawmill at Byres of Murthly, built three storeys high in the shape of a meal mill. The ground floor housed the waterwheel machinery, the first floor the sawing operation and the top floor a workshop.
Today the sawmill is still owned and operated by Murthly Estate, with timber sourced mostly from the local area. The machinery installed in the 1970s (shown in the photograph above) was stripped out and replaced completely in 2023, making for more efficient and safe production.
We have expanded our range of domestic timber applications (e.g. garden fencing, decking etc.) to complement existing agricultural wood products. We also sell fire wood.
Photovoltaic panels installed in 2022 power the sawmill almost entirely during the late spring and summer months, and saved over 120 tonnes of carbon emissions during 2023 and 2024.