Cloth Finishing Works at Tone Mills South Range

This cloth finishing works, specifically the south range, is part of the larger Tone Mills complex. It dates from around 1830, with later alterations and additions made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The building is constructed from uncoursed stone rubble with red brick dressings and red brick, covered by slate and tile roofs.

The complex comprises two parallel ranges; the longer, older range forms the eastern boundary of the site, while the west range is a later 19th-century addition. The east range has 29 bays, representing three stages of development. The central 13 bays are shown on the 1839 Tithe map. It is two storeys high with 2-light windows beneath segmental arches on each floor, with alternate openings blocked. This pattern is repeated on the side walls, creating a staggered appearance of openings in each bay, with each bay lit from one side. A six-bay addition of similar form was constructed in the mid-19th century to the north end, and an early 20th-century addition, incorporating pier and panel construction with later horizontal boarding infill, was added to the south. A single-storey lean-to extension exists on the west elevation. The west range has nine bays and is two storeys high, featuring lean-to additions on both sides, with the eastern addition extending the full length of the building. It has nine ground-floor windows and four first-floor windows. The north gable includes a wide arched double doorway on the ground floor, with a large glazing bar window above.

The interior of the earliest part of the east range features pegged timber roof trusses with angled queen struts. The tie beams retain closely spaced rows of tenterhooks. Mortices in the beam soffits indicate the former location of racking or framework.

The dryhouse complex is a significant feature of Tone Works, representing the sole surviving building from the earliest phase of development and one of the few examples of a late 19th-century cloth dyeing and finishing works that remains largely complete. The site retains all the component structures associated with worsted and woollen cloth dyeing and finishing, alongside the necessary machinery and fittings.