Spectator Mill

Spectator Mill is a silk mill, now used for various workshops, dating from the early to mid 19th century, with some alterations. The building is constructed of brown brick, which has been rendered at the ground floor, and features some sandstone dressings. It has a rectangular plan with a projecting stair-turret at the southeast corner and a projecting tower, possibly a dust flue, near the west end. The mill stands six storeys high and has seven windows, with the tower located between the second and third windows. There is a round-headed doorway in the re-entrant wall of the stair-turret, but most ground-floor openings have been altered. The windows are segmental-headed with raised sills, and there is a narrow rectangular full-height tower between the second and third windows, which has diamond-pattern breathers on four levels, similar to those found in agricultural buildings. The interior has not been inspected. Spectator Mill is part of an impressive and evocative group of former mill buildings that line the Ashton Canal in this area.