Waverley Mill was constructed in 1865-66 by Canonbie-born James Scott (1804-1881) who formed a business with his sons John (1838-1894) and Alexander (1843-1903).

They expanded the facility in the 1870s to create Langholm’s second-largest mill, after Reid & Taylor.

In the photo below, Waverley Mill is below and right of centre, with Buccleuch Mill to its left. Above it is a railway siding and the railway station. At top left is Ashley Bank House, built by John Scott. His brother Alexander built another large house nearby, called Erkinholm.

By the time of the Great War, the mill had passed to Alexander’s sons James (1868-1924), Arthur (1873-1940) and Thomas (1875-1947). Tom played rugby for Langholm and Scotland (11 times), and was president of the Scottish Football Union (now the Scottish Rugby Union) in 1914 and 1919. A fourth son, John (1881-1942), became an electrical engineer in Glasgow.