Gilnow Mill

Gilnow Mill is a multi-phase cotton mill complex, originally developed in 1857 and subsequently expanded. It is constructed of brick with a stone plinth, slate and flat roofs. The internal structure of the spinning block features cast-iron and brick arches, while the weaving sheds have cast-iron columns and timber beams. The site includes a 4-storey spinning block with a stair tower projecting from one angle, and an engine house projecting from the centre of the front wall. In front of the spinning block is a long 2-storey office, warehouse, and workshop range, containing the main entrance to the mill. Behind this range, and alongside the spinning block to the east, is a range of single-storey weaving sheds, with further weaving sheds to the rear of the spinning block. Additional buildings on the site include a boiler house, chimney, ancillary office, a gate house, and a stone boundary wall with cast-iron railings, which originally incorporated brackets for gas lamps. The spinning mill may have been substantially rebuilt following a fire in 1868.

The warehouse/office range has a 23-window frontage to the east of the engine house, with a 4-window range to the west, likely contemporary. The main entrance to the mill is articulated by pilasters and has round-arched Italianate windows above the doorway. An office entrance is flanked by canted bay windows. An original loading bay provides access to the rear weaving sheds. The spinning block is 16 bays by 10 bays, with a 6-storey tower featuring Italianate detailing, stressed pilasters to the angles, and rectangular windows with segmental brick heads. A privy tower was added to the north-east corner. Weaving sheds in the angle of the spinning block and office range have a sawtooth roof and a brick external wall divided by pilasters. Some ranges of weaving sheds may be earlier, while others appear to have been added later. A single range alongside the spinning block is potentially an earlier construction. The site also includes a truncated octagonal chimney. A gate house building with rusticated gate piers is an original feature, though it has undergone later modifications. Other buildings on the site appear to be 20th-century additions. The mill represents a coherent site developed for integrated work and survives almost intact.