City Corn Mills (Former), Wards Road, Elgin

2-storey and attic, 6-bay, L-plan former corn mill with pyramidal-roofed pagoda kiln. 20th century additions (not of merit or interest). Tooled sandstone rubble, dressings polished to margins. Long and short quoins.

The original building survives at the core of numerous alterations. Charles Cree Doig (1855-1918) was a civil engineer and architect practising in Elgin. He designed a wide variety of buildings, although his speciality was distilleries. Doig's most widely recognised achievement was the invention of the pagoda-like Doig Ventilator, which he designed, in 1889, to improve the efficiency of the chimneys at Daluaine Distillery Maltings. The ventilators were carefully designed for practical use, but also have a pleasing aesthetic based on the Golden Ratio. It seems very likely that the ventilator at the former Corn Mills in Elgin is a Doig ventilator, making it an important survival. Although it would appear that no distilling took place on this site, the mills were within easy reach of numerous distilleries. The ventilator presents an unsual and distinctive profile in its urban setting. (Historic Scotland)

1997: planning application to demolish existing stores and erect student accommodation refused. 2006: Listed building consent for partial demolition of former North Eastern Farmers buildings approved.

January 2008: Northern Scot report an application has been lodged to convert the mill to 32 residential flats.

5 September 2012: External inspection finds the roof in poor condition with trees growing in it. Gutters and downpipes are clogged. Windows have been broken. The site remains disused. Listed Building Consent for conversion of the mill into 4 flats with the erection of 24 flats was refused June 2009 07/02807/LBC. Full Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent for conversion of the mill to 4 flats, erection of 15 flats and 1 maisonette is currently under review ref: 10/00343/APP & 10/00344/LBC.

14 July 2015: External inspection finds the building subject to continuing decline. Security fencing has been erected around the building. Full Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent for the restoration and conversion of the former mill into 4 flats, with new build flats and maisonette within the overall site, were conditionally approved Feb 2013 ref: 10/00343/APP & 10/00344/LBC.

4 March 2024: Desk-based assessment suggests the building remains disused. Planning Permission (19/00368/APP) was granted in retrospect for storage of materials within the wider site in 2019.