Archaeology Sites

Scheduled Ancient Monument - Higher Mill

District: Rossendale
Name: Higher Mill, Helmshore.
Description: Wool finishing mill, built in 1789. Working mill museum.

The mill is a blanket finishing mill, built in 1789 of stone with stone slates and driven by a water wheel. It was built by the Turners. The present waterwheel was erected in about 1830 and survives at the east end, although it ceased working in 1954. The mill is now a museum and has been fully renovated by the trustees of Higher Mill and Lancs C.C.. The ground floor ceiling has been reinforced with steel girders, but the mill is otherwise largely unaltered from the original 18th century building.

The mill ceased to work commercially in 1967, and in the period 1954 -67 was powered by electricity, although the waterwheel was not removed. All the machinery is renovated and operative, powered by the waterwheel and makes an impressive display.

The machinery - The mill has two water wheels prior to the installation of the present one in the middle of the last century. The sites of the two relatively narrow wheels can be picked out by the arches in the mill's northern wall, which are now filled with masonry. The present backshot wheel incorporated two rim gear drives and could develop up to about 37kw (50bhp). Other machinery includes fulling stocks, a wetting out machine, rotary milling machines, a flock shaker, scouring machine, mangle, tenter frame, teasel raising gig, cloth folding and other examples of 19th century machinery, but not original to this complex. The mill is now a museum.

SD: 77810,21510

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Lancashire County Council OS Licence No.100023320 2003