The Orry Mill

The name ‘The Orry Mill’ refers to the open space in Eaglesham known as ‘The Orry’ (Old Scots for 'area') in which there are the remains of a cotton mill. The mill and the village were designed by Lord Alexander Eglinton, but built by his brother Archibald. The Eglinton family were responsible for a series of cotton mills and key agricultural developments throughout the late 18th and early 19th Century. The area of Busby, Eaglesham, Clarkston and Newton Mearns as small villages all had water powered cotton mills, and this drove the development of these villages, the buildings, geography and layout as we see it now. The Orry Mill was started simply to be a lovely wee shop that sought to share our love of crafting and colour with the local community. The shop was to be more than a retail outlet, a place to visit and spend time in, to leave having learnt something new, or to have found something that inspired you just a little bit. We wanted to have a shop that was full of colour, where you would be surrounded by quality vibrant yarn, yet also be a calming, inspiring and tactile place where we curate a range of lovely things for people to craft with, and to provide support and advice to create something at a pace that suits you. The wider benefits of crafting are a given to all those that are already passionate about it, and there is real-world evidence that taking time to craft and develop your practice, is beneficial to your health. It creates ‘head-space’ to reflect, focus and quiet the busy mind in our unsettled times. These deliberate pauses we carve out for ourselves can be nurturing for body and mind and if we can help to encourage and support creating the time, space, and tools to do that, then that would make us very happy indeed.