Historic mill was 'unique'
LAST week's story in the Spenborough Guardian about Prospect Mills being converted into flats, prompted reader John Briggs to contact us.
John worked there for 47 years, following in the footsteps of his father, Jack, and grandfather Tom, and eventually became the production director.
He has researched the company's history and has photographs and drawings from its earliest days.
In the past he has tried to get the building listed through English Heritage but his attempts failed.
John says the building was unique for two reasons, the first being that it was the first mill ever to be built with reinforced concrete floors, and the second that it was the first to have a dam on its roof.
"A hundred years ago there were a lot of card clothing manufacturers in the valley - the two big ones being Samuel Laws and Critchley, Sharpe and Tetlow," he said.
"Sam Sharpe had a wire company and he built Prospect Mills which was completed in 1907.
"The original plans show the mill as having a pitched roof and wooden floors, but these were changed when it came to actually building it.
"The artist's drawing of the mill shows the dam on the roof, as does the photograph. The dams provided water for the boilers and steam engines and all mills had them.
"Prospect Mills was unique in that theirs was originally on the roof, presumably because of space. However it didn't last long because the weight was too much for the roof, so they built another small one at the back.
"As for the floors, no-one had ever used reinforced concrete before. I remember in the 1970s we started having trouble with the floors and the architects investigated the problem, but it wasn't until we found these old photographs that we realised the reinforcements had been put in the wrong way.
"Last week's story about the mills said it was founded by John and Samuel Law, but their mill was in Law Street, Moorend, and Prospect Mills was Critchley, Sharpe and Tetlow's. In 1924 Card Clothing and Belting was formed, and Critchley, Sharpe and Tetlow became part of that, later becoming Carclo plc."
The mills closed down three years ago.
Under the new plans part of the mill will be demolished to make way for two new terraced streets of 17 houses, and the rest converted into 41 flats.
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Weather for Cleckheaton
Friday 10 February 2012
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