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Report - - Dalton Mills (Keighley, Mar, 2020) | Industrial Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Dalton Mills (Keighley, Mar, 2020)

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urbanchemist

28DL Regular User
Regular User
I had to collect junior from Leeds before lockdown, so we stopped off at Dalton Mills on the way home.
This used to be a well trodden tourist spot, with about 20 reports on here, mostly from 2010/11, the most recent being 2015.
All I knew at the time was that it was your standard empty mill with no machinery except for a little workshop, which is everyone’s favourite bit.

First a short overview of the buildings, taken from the Historic England listing.
It’s actually a complex of three mills around a narrow courtyard with a couple of attached engine/boiler houses, some other side-buildings and a free standing chimney at the bottom right corner.

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A Tower Mill. This has been renovated and is in use.

B Genappe Mill. The ground floor and part of the first floor are currently in use, the rest is empty.
This is the only mill that most people visit.

C New Mill. There’s only one report on this, by JST from 2010 https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/dalton-mills-keighley-october-2010.54857/
The ground floor is occupied by a car repair/salvage place, the rest is derelict.

There was a fire in early 2011 which destroyed a small section linking B and C on the left, but luckily didn’t spread further.

I didn’t bother with a tripod for this one which was a mistake, since I ended up carting round an old chair to stick the camera on for the gloomy parts.
There are probably too many pictures here, but it’s a big place with plenty to see.

First some externals. Entrance into the courtyard and view of B.

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View of C from behind - this one still has it’s industrial grime unless its been sprayed black for a film set.

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Starting at the first floor of C and moving upwards.

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The height-adjustable cross pieces between the columns are one of the nicest features of these mills.
I’d like to think the line shafts went through the holes.

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Lift bay.

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Electric lift and a section of older shafting.

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Top floor - the old photo (unknown date) was pinched off the internet.

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Moving over to B, pictures are ordered upwards.
The basement is only partial, under a lean-to section at one side of the building.
Nothing in it except a film prop, some soggy reels of wool and a safe with decomposing packaging records.
The mill was originally by owned by the Craven family before being sold in 2004.

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Some of the ground and first floors are occupied by film sets - mainly for The Limehouse Golem.
Not sure how I feel about taking pictures of these but it made a change from decomposing tat.

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Mandatory stop at the little line-shaft powered workshop.

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urbanchemist

28DL Regular User
Regular User
Continued.

Heading upwards it’s all been seen before.

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A rubbish picture of a small section of line shafting - I couldn’t be bothered to climb around and get a better one.
See OT’s 2013 post https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/dalton-mills-keighley-february-2013.78270/ for proper pictures of this.

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The blue curved things on the left look like replacement vent caps for the roof, which is currently missing two of them.

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Finally up the water tower for some views.

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Old Mr Craven apparently used to survey his empire from the balconies half way up the chimney, which looks like something out of Lord Of The Rings.
I sent junior off to have a look, but he said it was all bricked up at the bottom.
People have commented that the place has gone downhill in the last decade - to some extent maybe, but apart from the film sets, it still looks much the same to me as a decade ago - see e.g. tumbles’s recent archival post.
 

Seffy

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
My my that's fantastic. It's always a great feeling to get into bits of a site that are virtually unvisited isn't it? Top drawer that mate!
 

Speed

Got Epic Slow?
Regular User
Its the smaller bits that go walkabouts. I remember there were some really nice signs and ring traveler tins and bits and bobs like that. We went a few times, if i recall it had a caravan at the back which we thought was empty but when we went to go in the back bit first time round some bloke popped out of it. When we went back again we did the back bit but got nabbed going though the courtyard into the front mill that time.. fun and games!
 

urbanchemist

28DL Regular User
Regular User
Its the smaller bits that go walkabouts. I remember there were some really nice signs and ring traveler tins and bits and bobs like that. We went a few times, if i recall it had a caravan at the back which we thought was empty but when we went to go in the back bit first time round some bloke popped out of it. When we went back again we did the back bit but got nabbed going though the courtyard into the front mill that time.. fun and games!
Actually the room with shelves of ring traveller tins is still there, along with electrical boxes and other bits elsewhere - didn't notice many signs though.
 

urbanchemist

28DL Regular User
Regular User
What a fantastic building! Was all that gold-sprayed ironwork part of the film set?
Yes, the central row of pillars and crosspieces is the only original thing in there - they're painted different colours in other parts of the mills - everything else in the film set area is wood.
 

NorthernIndstrialist1898

28DL Member
28DL Member
Do you have the details of who to contact on site? Or was it a turn up and look around job? The website for the mill seems to be down and I can't find any details anymore. Many thanks
 

urbanchemist

28DL Regular User
Regular User
This is very much a turn up and look around website you're on.

But I guess you could try asking whoever is in the occupied bits if you had some plausible reason - no idea who to contact though.
 

dave

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Of all the reports on this place this has to be the best stunning photography and so much covered mind i think i expect this top quality from you. When i first saw the the coffin thing in the basement it gave me a little fright but very soon realised it was the film set.
 

chills

Queller of the uprising
Moderator
Glad this has reemerged! Lovely photography and some really nice details; great job as usual Chemist! ✌
 

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