At Upper Lanrick farm there was a busy sawmill, but neither the farm ‘toun’ nor the sawmill have been active for at least a generation. Abandoned, their days are now numbered as they are set to be bulldozed.
On a recent visit to Upper Lanrick I came across a circular saw of two-feet in diameter. On the back it still had its maker’s label attached:
I found myself wanting to know more about William Graham, Sawmaker, 6-12 Hospital Street. Perth. Particularly because his name is the only one that has survived in Upper Lanrick despite half a century of abandonment and subsequent decay.
This is a picture of the sawmill:
I discovered that William Graham began his business in Perth in 1904:
He also sold oil engines:
In 1916, when wartime blackouts were enforced, William Graham was fined:
William Graham died 9 years later, in 1925:
Beside the sawmill at Upper Lanrick is a delightful joiners studio. It retains its artisan windows and other features but the roof has now fallen-in:
Filmed at Lanrick Home farm – between November rain:
To play this short film please click here or on the image above
Audio: Radio 4 – Only Artists, 14 Nov 2018: Poet Don Paterson meets composer Thomas Adès.
Music credit: ‘John my beloved‘ by Sufjan Stevens
Thanks to: Margret Drabble, Janice Galloway, Julian Barnes, Valadimir Nabokov and Tomas Tranströmer