Prospect Mill

Prospect Mill

Prospect Mill is a former textile mill constructed in 1883 with early twentieth century additions. It was designed by Richard Horsfall of Halifax.

The mill is built of coursed gritstone with a blue slate roof. The complex comprises a multi-storey spinning mill aligned approximately north-south, with the former engine house integrated within the main building at the north end and the boiler house alongside on the east side. A small warehouse is attached at the southern end of the west side, and a north-lights shed extends north from this, terminating at the north end in a single storey block that projects beyond the spinning mill's end.

The spinning mill has five storeys and 22 bays, five bays deep. Ramped parapets at either end conceal the double span roof, which has skylights on the west side of the eastern span. The north end parapet bears the name PROSPECT MILL and the date 1883. Three round arched windows on the ground floor north end identify the former engine house. The eaves are dentilled with a lower band and dependent iron rings above each window. The mill windows are three-light timber framed, tall on the lower four storeys and squarer on the top floor, with projecting cills. A taking-in door is positioned on the first floor north elevation, with a line of taking-in doors in the centre of the south elevation and an entrance on the ground floor. On the east side at the centre is a projecting privy tower with small windows to the south side, extending beyond the roof line with two windows on each side above a continuation of the main roof dentil course, topped by a pyramidal roof. On the west side at the junction with the warehouse is a larger, taller stair and water tank tower with windows on the north side and string courses and single windows to each floor on the west side up to mill height, then four stages above roof height topped by a water tank. The main roof dentilled course continues around the tower with another dentilled course above the third stage, with other stages defined by plain string courses. Single windows appear on the west and south sides of the second stage.

The warehouse has a double hipped roof and three storeys, four bays long and three bays deep. It extends in one build from the south end of the spinning mill with windows and dentils matching those of the mill.

The north-lights weaving shed has nine short bays from north to south of the same width as the warehouse. The west side has a low stone wall below a glazed upper wall with replaced glazing and flashing, and some original corrugated asbestos roofing.

The single storey boiler house has a hipped roof with a flat-roofed extension to the east with two blocked windows. The east elevation has four tall windows and an inserted vehicle entrance on the north elevation. To the south is a later, narrower section with a pitched roof having a door and two blocked windows on the west side and a large vehicle entrance on the south gable end. The chimney formerly stood at the boiler house end but no longer survives.

Interior of the spinning mill: the ground floor has an open space where the engine was housed and the former single storey office area was located. The remainder has a double row of cast iron columns with bolting heads for line shafting running down the centre. The floor is timber with timber supporting beams for the floor above, a pattern repeated on each floor. The roof structure, open on the top floor, is timber queen post construction. Stairs within the stair tower have been capped on the lower floors to repair worn treads.

The weaving shed has metal frames to the roof with replaced glazing to the roof and upper west wall. Window openings to the west wall of the adjacent spinning mill, originally an external wall, are present.

The warehouse ground floor has timber partitions indicating its use as an office, with indications of a former canteen on the first floor.

The boiler house has an inserted roof with no visible features. The extension has an open metal frame roof structure.