Decker Mill Old Mill

Decker Mill and Old Mill are cotton spinning mills that have been converted into a clothing factory. The Old Mill, located to the west, was built in 1798, and the Decker Mill was added to the east in 1802. Both buildings are constructed of brown brick with slate roofs and feature an internal structure of cast iron columns and timber beams. They form a continuous range parallel to the canal and are now seven storeys high, although they were originally eight storeys tall. The Old Mill has 11 bays, which were extended by the 10 bays of the Decker Mill. The mills have small windows with flat arched brick heads.

Towards the center of the rear elevation, there is a stair tower that serves both mills, along with two narrow heating or ventilation towers against the rear wall. A detached engine house, which is a mid-19th century replacement, is located in the yard beyond, accompanied by an octagonal stack with a moulded cap. Although the internal structure has been modified, it is likely that the original design included joisted floors supported by cruciform cast iron columns, as seen in part of the New Mill.

The truncated remains of a wing on the Bengal Street elevation were formerly a four-storey range used for warehousing and had been added to the site by 1906. The mills were built for Adam and George Murray and represent the earliest part of what became a large textile working site. Originally, the mills had their own canal basin in the yard at the rear, which was connected to the Rochdale Canal by an arched tunnel under the street. Fairbairn and Lillie's first major contract involved renewing the machine shafting in this mill. Together with the New Mill at the rear, these mills are significant as a large early textile working site developed as a single concern around a courtyard and canal basin. Old Mill is also noted as the earliest surviving mill in Manchester.