Dudfleet Mills, Horbury, November 2011

[Wakey Lad]

At the start of the first industrial revolution, spinning and cloth manufacture boomed at Dudfleet The nearby River Calder provided the power for the mills, this would have been by water wheel prior to the instillation of steam engines in 1795. The mills, which are documented at this time as Race’s Mill were central to an uprising by workers that same year. They objected to the implementation of new textile machinery and the factory system. Luddites, who blamed the new factories for depriving weavers from earning a living in a time of widespread hunger and poverty, destroyed the nearby Fosters Mill. It is also documented the Appointment of a cloth searcher, Certificate appointing Joseph Roberts of Horbury, clothier, to be searcher and measurer of woollen broad cloths at Dudfleet in 1797.

The Mill remains, however, various phases of rebuilding has left little of the original building (much of the original section backs onto the river bank to the rear of the building). Part of the site that remains today appears to have been built during the 1950s/60s, prior to scaling down of operations at the site. More recently, the building was used by Fur Fabrics, they used the site for preparation and spin of various textiles, before closing in 2005. In July of 2011, arsonists set fire to the derelict mill, at the height of the blaze Fire Crews from Ossett, Dewsbury and Wakefield stations attended, specialist equipment also had to be drafted in from Mirfield to bring the fire under control.

Not much left to shout about here, it is pretty trashed, but if your like me and can’t resist a derelict old building, its worth a look.

Thanks for looking

[Canonite]

Ooh, this was still occupied when we last had a look. Nice one

[Rebel]

It's always looked knackered. Good to see inside though

[KingElvis]

Yep nice one, good to see inside here at last.