Buildings At Longfords Mills

Buildings nos 1 and 1A at Longfords Mills

A steam-powered spinning mill dated 1858, latterly used as a blender shed and store and now disused. The initials WP (William Playne) appear to the left of the main entrance. The building is constructed in coursed and dressed limestone with an ashlar chimney and Welsh slate roof.

The structure is two storeys arranged on a rectangular plan with a later south-west wing, creating an overall L-shaped footprint. The west front features 12 windows arranged in 6 pairs. Each window has a segmental arch with 8-pane casements to the upper floor and 12-pane casements to the ground floor. All windows have fixed lights except for small opening casements at the head. Plain sill bands run horizontally. The entrance is positioned to the right of centre and is accompanied by a gantry and a large upper floor doorway. The main block has parallel pitched roofs with continuous roof-lights and a central louvred ridge ventilator topped with a spike finial. A tall chimney stack occupies the north-west corner, featuring a tapering octagonal shaft and moulded top.

The south-facing return wing (1A) is distinguished by 4 gables and continuous rows of north-facing roof-lights. The gables are supported on heavy timber beams with cast-iron supports.

Internally, the building contains 3 rows of cast-iron columns standing 3.5 metres high. Small recesses for heating stores are located at the gable ends. A 7-bay king-post roof structure spans the interior in two parallel rows, with iron king-posts set on cast-iron column supports.

The Royal Commission on Historical Monuments suggests the mill was built for spinning on mules with preparation machinery, such as carding engines, positioned on the ground floor. Both storeys were powered by longitudinal line shafts. The site forms part of the larger Longfords Mills complex, an ancient mill site with earlier buildings adjoining to the north.