PDA

View Full Version : Lister's Mill, Bradford, West Yorkshire 06/06/2011



Mutilated_Pixie
07-06-2011, 11:09 PM
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6213.jpg

In danger of doing this place to death, after I saw Nicolas post on here I had to go visit. Before reading that post I thought it was all converted. In comparison to the entire mill, whats left to explore is not a lot, but what is left is far bigger then the other mills I have visited and there is still a lot to see.

Lister's Mill (also known as Manningham mills) was built in 1873 to replace the original mill that burned down in 1871 and extended in the 1880s the architects for this Italianate Victorian building were Andrews and Pepper. Lister's Mill became the largest silk mill in Europe with a floor space of 27 acres and it also produced worsted and velvet cloth. The Chimney alone is an impressive structure standing 255 feet high and it is said that you could ride an horse and carriage round it's rim without any problems. Huge steam boilers use to power the mill consuming 1000 tons of coal a week that were brought brought in on company rail wagons from the company collieries near Pontefract. Of course to make steam you need water this was catered for by its own underground reservoir, which in 2006 became a piazza and underground car park. the steam was converted to electric in 1934. In short this isn't just a mill, but a cathedral to victorian industry and engineering.

In it's hey day Lister's Mill had a 11000 men, women and children working under it's roof manufacturing high quality silk and velvet. It supplied 1000 yards of velvet for King George V's coronation and in 1976 it produced velvet curtains for the President Ford White House.

Lister's Mill also played an important role during WW2, producing 1,330 miles of real parachute silk, 284 miles of flame-proof wool, 50 miles of khaki battledress and 4430 miles of parachute cord.

It wasn't all good though for Lister's mill, Lister and co threatened to reduce the wages of over 100 workers in the velvet department by 25% due to an increase to an American tariff in imported velvet causing the workers to strike between December 1890 and April 1891. Even though Lister was still making a profit he wouldn't back down and as a result unions and societies across the West Riding set up a fund to support the striking workers and there were picketing and processions in support (90,000 attended one meeting), but the money ran out. Lack of action from the two main political parties lead to the creation of the Independent Labour Party which became the Labour party.

The Lister's business decreased considerably during the 1980s due to stiff foreign competition and changing textile trends such as increased use of artificial fibres. In 1992 the mills were essentially abandoned. Being a prominent structure the mills attracted a great deal of attention and several regeneration proposals came and went. The sheer size of the buildings being a major difficulty. But thankfully local residents, former workers and notably Reverend George Moffat never lost hope that the mills would rise again. They campaigned hard to save the mills.

Award winning property developers Urban Splash bought the mills in 2000 with a vision to renovate the existing larger buildings and build striking new structures. Apartments, workplaces, shops and public spaces which would once more bring Listers to life. A deal was finally struck whereby remedial work on the structures and removal of industrial waste would be part-funded by Yorkshire Forward, Bradford Council and English Heritage. The rebirth had begun. In September 2004 Freda Watts, a former silk weaver at Listers, cut a ribbon across the entrance to the mills and construction work started.

A new landmark for the 100 million GBP project was the sales launch of the first phase. In late 2004 over 2,000 people queued (some overnight) to buy one of the 131 apartments being created in the south mill which was renamed Silk Warehouse. It was a sell out and a great boost for the project and the wider regeneration of Bradford. The next phase was to regenerate the second large building and rename it Velvet Milll which involved replacing the existing roof on this building with an innovative glass and steel structure housing two storey apartments. David Morley practice were the architects assigned for this delicate process. The new homes went on sale in early 2007. Over coming years further developments on the remainder of the site will create a new piazza with the huge mill chimney at its centre.

Sorry if the history lesson bored you, I will get on with the pics.

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6039.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6062.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6067.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6068.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6079.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6081.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6087.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6090.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6105.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6123.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6127.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6138.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6143.jpg

I dubbed this room The Roots Room, the reason behind this is I thought there was string hanging from the ceiling but on closer inspection I discovered they were roots.
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6155.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6157.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6159.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6163.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6164.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6178.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6182.jpg

Above the Roots Room
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6200.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6203.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6204.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6209.jpg

A view of the penthouses
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6214.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6218.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6226.jpg

*translation* Integrity Produces Confidence
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd381/Mutilated_Pixie/Listers%20Mill/100_6227.jpg

mr beardy
07-06-2011, 11:36 PM
nice pics mate :thumb

captain cave man
07-06-2011, 11:55 PM
2 things come to mind

1 nice pics m8

2 is the chimney laddered inside or out !

:)

boxerheaven
08-06-2011, 09:30 AM
some nice shots there :)

MJS
08-06-2011, 12:29 PM
quality stuff pixie

Mutilated_Pixie
08-06-2011, 03:23 PM
2 things come to mind

1 nice pics m8

2 is the chimney laddered inside or out !

:)

I couldn't see a ladder, there is a door under the chimney and I found a lil hole near the chimney going under the now demolished mill they might be worth a wonder, I had to leave whn I did as I saw workmen apearing from the building lol

Nicola
13-06-2011, 01:46 PM
Glad to see you got in after all. I had a good look up the chimney but couldn't see any ladders either!

yorkietommo
13-06-2011, 04:18 PM
Some lovely old details in there! Nice.

converse1
14-06-2011, 12:43 PM
Like it! :thumb

River Man
14-06-2011, 03:10 PM
Good stuff!

Moodster020
15-06-2011, 10:05 PM
Loverly Stuff.

Used to see it every day in the distance from my old school classroom in the 90's