Dob Wheel Mill

Dob Wheel Mill is a woollen and cotton mill featuring a weir, consisting of five buildings that date from the late 18th century to the mid to late 19th century. The oldest structure is a small water-powered mill built in the late 18th to early 19th century. It is constructed of coursed stone rubble with a slate roof and stone quoins, some of which are re-used. This original four-bay range has a round-arched blocked wheel-house opening, a first-floor loading door, and 16-pane windows with plain stone surrounds. An added bay features flat-faced mullion windows and stone steps leading up to a raised first-floor entrance. Inside, there are timber floors and king and queen post roof trusses. This section was originally built as a fulling and perching mill.

To the north, there is a range built around 1800, likely for hand-loom weaving. This three-storey brick building has paired 16-pane windows, most of which have been replaced with four-pane versions, and a central stone mullion.

A later steam-powered phase from 1854 is represented by an external boiler house for three Lancashire boilers located to the west. This structure is made of red brick with stone details and features three round arches on the gable; the right arch is obscured by wooden doors, while the central and left keyed arches spring from monolithic columns with moulded capstones. A shield-shaped stone plaque in the center bears the inscription: 'DOB WHEEL/ MILL/ 1854'. The gable coping has turned-back kneelers. This boiler house is attached to the brick mill range, which has 11 or more bays and is now two storeys tall. Next to the boiler house is a tall narrow engine house. The site is currently home to Smallbridge Textiles Ltd.

The weir is made of stone and includes remnants of headrace stonework on the northern bank of the river; it provided water for the earliest phase of the mill, which was powered by the water wheel. The head and tail races are now filled in.

This site is significant as it represents the evolution of various aspects of textile production through hand, water, and steam power.