Dalton Mills, Keighley - October 2010

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J

jjstenso

Guest
Visited with KooK.

After checking out Meanwood Hospital, then trekking round some of Leeds' lower canal route in search of dereliction and with plans to enter the famous "Masticator" drainage system, the weather drove us over to Keighley to investigate Dalton Mill.

On approach to Keighley over the hills by Micklethwaite and East Morton, the square sectioned, grand Victorian chimney of Dalton Mill is immediately apparent as the most prominent structure of Keighley's skyline.

Here's some history lifted from the website made to promote the Mill as potential office space.

Dalton Mills was once the largest textile mill in the region, employing over 2000 workers. It was built by Joseph Craven in 1869, replacing the original mill which was owned by Rachel Leach in the 1780's.
The mill was named Dalton Mills after the manager employed by Rachel Leach, a man called Dalton.
In its heyday between 1869 and 1877 the mill provided jobs for workers all over Keighley and the Worth Valley.

As the textile industry declined, the fortunes of Dalton Mills changed and up until 2004, it had been virtually empty for almost a decade. John Craven, the great-great grandson of Joseph, who had built the mill, eventually chose to sell Dalton Mills to Magna Holdings, to ensure it’s survival.

Part of the renovation of the Clock Tower has included restarting the landmark clock which has not ticked for 25 years. In the mill's heyday, thousands of workers relied on the clock to get to work on time, but the hands had not moved for a quarter of a century. Last year Magna Holdings repaired the clock, and illuminated the faces, so it can display the time to the whole of Dalton Lane again.

I thought it fitting to William Blake's poem, And did those feet in ancient time as this really was one of the dark, satanic mills to which he refers.

And did those feet in ancient time.
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen!

And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In Englands green & pleasant Land



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There are massive expanses of Mill space... lots of them

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An old Parking ticket receipt for the owner of one of the companies based on the floor with the Orange columns.

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Finally, an idiot scootering through the ground floor mill space.

Thanks for having a look. :mrgreen:
 
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Nice one dude, a few of mine.

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Was a good little mooch, would prob head back for a bit more of a look around, was running out of time a little at the end there.
 
Moar

We returned here to spend a bit more time just wandering around, and actually found a a fair amount more detail we'd missed the first time (props to a new explorer we took along!) also if you happen to be reading this Hello to the other explorers we ran into, didn't catch your name, hope the girl who put her foot through the floor has recovered from the shock! Its a fair drop from that top floor.

Sorry about the quality of some of these pics, but my head was swimming slightly from a previous night of excessive enjoyment :D

Had loads more of the workshop, but they were uber blurry.

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Thanks for looking again :D
 
Wow to the 'alphabet door'. Has packing case material been used to board it up? It looks amazing...like something from ancient mesopotamia or somewhere like that. :mrgreen:
 
Cheers Foxy, its not really a door, that part of the building has been built as an extension and there doesn't seem to be any 'normal' access, guess that's why they forgot about all the stuff in there when they stripped it all.
 
Really love these pictures guys! It shows how even a place that basically empty can be made to look awsome through an awsome camera and someone who knows how to use it well! Thanks for posting guys :D
 
The workshop is great isn't it?

One of my favourite mills is Dalton. Shame about the fire last week.
 

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