Listed Building record MDR7682 - Torr Vale Mills, Torrvale Road, New Mills
Type and Period (2)
- COTTON MILL (Georgian - 1790 AD to 1799 AD)
- WEAVING MILL (Georgian - 1790 AD to 1799 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
Impressive four storey gritstone mid 19th century cotton mill in an incised meander of the River Goyt. Operated by Mellor and Roberts in 1846 and by W. S. Lowe - cotton spinners - in 1922. (1)
Site under threat from vandalism - and change of ownership: RCHME surveys undertaken in 1997. (2)
RCHME survey 1997 :
Torr Valley Mills were built for water-powered cotton spinning and weaving in the 1790s and extensively rebuilt to use a combination of steam and water power in the early 1860s. The site is notable as an intact and relatively well preserved complex of mills and ancillary buildings covering a wide date range and illustrating a development from water power to steam power. Most of the buildings date from the second half of the 19th century, but significant structures survive from the original mill and have had a marked influence on the development of the site. The rebuilding included the construction of a terrace of worker's housing with a corner shop, named "Torr Vale 1863", along with a nearby manager's house, all of which remains well-preserved alongside the access road to the south-east (see SMR 10745). Torr Valley Mills has been in continuous use since the 1790s to the present day, cotton towelling still being manufactured in the mill at the time of the survey: this may be the longest period of continuous use of a cotton mill site in England which is still in use by the cotton industry in 1997. (3)
Draft Conservation Plan. (4)
Four storey gritstone spinning mill, three storey 'old mill' (1788-1790), link block, shell of four storey weaving block, mill chimney and offices. Mill closed in 2000. Weaving shed destroyed by fire in August 2000 and the future of the site is uncertain. (2004) (5).
Sources/Archives (5)
- <1> SDR4751 Bibliographic reference: Fowkes, D. 1984. Derbyshire Industrial Archaeology - A Gazetteer of Sites. Part I. Borough of High Peak. p 28.
- <2> SDR18532 Monograph: Derbyshire County Council. 1999. Buildings at Risk Register.
- <3> SDR18533 Unpublished document: Williams, M & Stoyel, A (RCHME). 1997. Torr Vale Mill, New Mills, Derbyshire, RCHME Historic Building Report. NBR No. 95929.
- <4> SDR18534 Bibliographic reference: Kathryn Sather Associates. 2000. Torr Vale Mill: Conservation Plan Draft.
- <5> SDR22140 Bibliographic reference: Fowkes, D (ed.). 2004. Derbyshire Industrial Archaeology: A Gazetteer of Sites, Part I, Borough of High Peak (second edition). pp. 37.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SJ 99903 85333 (112m by 55m) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | NEW MILLS, HIGH PEAK, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- EDR1604
- EDR3566
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Jan 19 2024 4:48PM