Premises Occupied By Texere Yarns And La Parsons And Company Limited (College Mill)

The premises occupied by Texere Yarns and L A Parsons and Company Limited, known as College Mill, is a former chapel of Airedale College designed by architect J P Pritchett in 1839. It is located on a corner site with Upper Park Gate. Although the body of the building has been rebuilt in this century for commercial use, the front facing Upper Park Gate remains largely intact. This elevation, which is set on a shallow convex curve and was originally symmetrical with one main door and flanking bays (the left-hand bay has been demolished), is constructed of high-quality ashlar and features Greek Revival details.

The building is two-storeys high with a blind attic, raised on a tall basement storey that has shallow horizontal channelling. The main curved section of the front consists of three broad window bays, articulated through the two main floors by Giant Doric pilasters that rise from a deep plat band over the basement. It has a deep frieze and a projecting cornice, while the blind attic features three panels and a cornice topped in the center by a solid plain pediment with antefixae. The former windows in the center bay have been altered to warehouse hatches, and the flanking main floor windows have architrave surrounds with cornices. The upper floor has plain square window openings with marginal glazing.

To the right, there is a surviving flat-fronted one window bay that also has giant pilasters, and the main entablature is continued over it, but without the blind attic; its cornice is topped by a similar pediment. The same type of windows is present here. Additionally, there is a pilastered, corniced doorway in the basement. The building is prominently situated on a hillside.