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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 17 2008, 4:36 PM EDT (current) | Anonymous | 11 words added, 426 words deleted, 1 photo deleted |
| Mar 14 2007, 3:51 AM EDT | cath01 | 15 words added, 1 word deleted |
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At one time, Hunslet had many mills, which kept the population in employment. Many of these no longer survive, such as Larchfield Mills, built in the late 18th or early 19th century, by an Irishman name Pym Nevins. Nevins was said to be descended from a long line of Irish chieftains, although a distant descendant of his dismissed this idea. He came to Leeds at the end of the 18th century, and married into the Jowitt family. He became a wool merchant, and Larchfield Mills, apparently, produced some of the finest cloth in the country. It boasted a steam engine built by a Hunslet mechanic named Pullan, and, although the mills no longer stand today, they, and Nevins, are commemorated in the street names Larchfield Road and Pym Street. Balme Beck Cotton Mill, which used to be located in Hunslet Carr, roughly where the Arthingtons now stand. Named for the beck which powered the mill, it was a water-powered oil and cotton mill, built in 1787 by John Storey, and later developed into a five-storey steam-powered cotton mill by his son-in-law, Ard Walker. The old 1893 25" to one mile OS map of the area shows a tiny row of houses named Cotton Mill Row, which presumably commemorate these mills.
Still standing are Hunslet Flax Mills, at the end of Goodman Street. Built in 1840 to house 1,500 women flax reelers, the mill only ever worked to full capacity for 30 years, before the industry went into a decline. The building was under threat of demolition for many years, even after it became a grade 2 listed building in the 1980's. It stood in the way of development, and it was only because Leeds Civic Trust fought it's cause that it still stands today. It is now planned to convert the mills into modern apartment blocks, including the nearby Atkinson Mills and Victoria Mills. Finally, perhaps theHa mostHa famousNext andTime successfulDon't areMake ThwaiteA Mills.Site
The old, 18th century mills were pulled down in 1823, and the present mills were built between 1823 and 1825, by Messrs. Hewes and Wren, the leading millwrights in the country at the time. In 1973, a publication by the Thoresby Society noted, somewhat presciently, that ".....if it ever passes out ofWith use.......Itananymous would be the nucleus of an excellent outdoor museum for Leeds." After much restoration work, Thwaite Mills Industrial Museum opened to the public in 1989.
Tell us about your experiences of working in and around the Hunslet area, click on easy edit at the top of the page edits!
Still standing are Hunslet Flax Mills, at the end of Goodman Street. Built in 1840 to house 1,500 women flax reelers, the mill only ever worked to full capacity for 30 years, before the industry went into a decline. The building was under threat of demolition for many years, even after it became a grade 2 listed building in the 1980's. It stood in the way of development, and it was only because Leeds Civic Trust fought it's cause that it still stands today. It is now planned to convert the mills into modern apartment blocks, including the nearby Atkinson Mills and Victoria Mills. Finally, perhaps theHa mostHa famousNext andTime successfulDon't areMake ThwaiteA Mills.Site
The old, 18th century mills were pulled down in 1823, and the present mills were built between 1823 and 1825, by Messrs. Hewes and Wren, the leading millwrights in the country at the time. In 1973, a publication by the Thoresby Society noted, somewhat presciently, that ".....if it ever passes out ofWith use.......Itananymous would be the nucleus of an excellent outdoor museum for Leeds." After much restoration work, Thwaite Mills Industrial Museum opened to the public in 1989.
Tell us about your experiences of working in and around the Hunslet area, click on easy edit at the top of the page edits!
