Darwen South Industrial Trail – Darwen Heritage Centre

The Industrial Heritage Trail

Darwen South Trail

: 1. Darwen South Industrial Trail Map

: 2. Starting at the Circus, go down the left hand side of the main Post Office and turn right into Bank Bottom where you will find part of the outer wall of Bank Top Mill.

: 3. NUMBER 1 BANK TOP MILL Built in 1859 as a weaving mill, it began with just 124 looms. By the turn of the century it had been extended to operate 816 looms. The mill closed in 1958 and was later demolished. The extent of the mill can be seen better from above the school which now occupies the main site of the mill. Further evidence of the outer wall can be seen at the back of the former Bakery on Borough Road.

: 4. Walk to the end of Bank Bottom and turn left up Borough Road. As you walk up Borough Road the back wall of Bank Top Mill becomes visible through the railings at this point.

: 5. NUMBER 2 THE DARWEN INDUSTRIAL CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY LIMITED BAKERY Opened in 1901, the year after the Provident Co-op opened on the Green. The premises have been re-purposed.

: 6. Continue up Borough Road until you have reached the top of the school railings and then cross to Ashworth Terrace. From here you can look back at the school and its grounds and see the full extent of Bank Top Mill. Walk up Ashworth Terrace to the top where you will enter Buff Street on your left.

: 7. Turn left into Buff Street and at the end you will turn right up Belgrave Road.

: 8. Take the first left into Rydal Avenue, (formerly known as Leach Street), and continue to the end of the Avenue where you will meet Almond Street.

: 9. NUMBER 3 ALMOND STREET MILL On Almond Street you will find Almond Street Mill, a single storey engraving mill which was used up until 1946 to store rollers for embossing in the paper mills. The former mill lodge at the far end has been filled in and a new house stands in its place. Now re-purposed.

: 10. Walk down Almond Street to the bottom and turn right to find Alice Street. Turn left down Alice Street to find the walkway to the back of Springfield Flats.

: 11. At the bottom of Alice Street cross diagonally towards India Mill Chimney to find the cobbled walk way.

: 12. At the end of the cobbles look over the wall to your left and you will see the back wall of Springfield Mill.

: 13. NUMBER 4 SPRINGFIELD MILL Built in 1835 and operated until 1927. At its height the mill had over 200 looms.

: 14. On reaching Bolton Road, turn right towards Bolton and you will see Radford Mill on the right, opposite the former Baptist Chapel.

: 15. NUMBER 5 RADFORD MILL Started around 1840, operated 220 looms and closed in 1937. Random stone sides to the preparation block and watershot blocks to the front. There is a tram rosette in the middle of the front of the building. The original stone gutters are still in place and there is a square stone chimney to the rear.

: 16. Continue up Bolton Road until you find Bowling Green Close. This is the site of the former Bowling Green Mill. Reputed to be the first large mill built in Darwen for the purpose of cotton manufacturing.

: 17. NUMBER 6 BOWLING GREEN MILL Built in 1819 as a warehouse, then became a spinning mill and after re-building housed a weaving shed operating over 1520 looms. Demolished in 1984 and the 1906 mill engine was transferred over the road to stand proudly outside India Mill. Around the edges of the Close are the original walls of the Mill on which the shape of the northern light roof can be seen.

: 18. From the Bowling Green Close continue up Bolton Road to just beyond the Bowling Green on your right where you will find Whitehall Mill.

: 19. NUMBER 7 WHITEHALL MILL Built in 1860, the mill was in operation as a weaving shed with a maximum of 480 looms until it closed in 1932. Only the preparation rooms remain and these have been re-purposed.

: 20. From Whitehall Mill retrace your steps back down Bolton Road to the main gate of Whitehall Park. At that point cross the main road and enter Watery Lane

: 21. NUMBER 8 CULVERT MILL Built in 1856 the mill had up to 180 looms. The engine house can be seen on the left, but the chimney which was on the same side has been removed. The reservoir behind the mill has been filled in, but the rectangular weaving shed is still standing to the rear of the preparation building. The mill closed in 1915 and has since been re-purposed.

: 22. Continue down Watery Lane until you reach St Barnabas Street then turn right to find the site of the former Waterfield Mill.

: 23. NUMBER 9 WATERFIELD MILL Built around 1898, the boundary wall now provides the outer wall of this housing development. Once operating 650 looms, the height of the wall at the back of the houses and down the far side shows the original height of the weaving shed. The reservoir was in the far front corner and the engine, boiler house and chimney were central in the current plot of land. Weaving ceased in 1959 and the mill was finally demolished and the land cleared for building on in 2019. At the end of this street is Dewhurst Street and the next mill with the blue warehouse

: 24. NUMBER 10 SOUTHEND MILL Started around 1913 and ran 672 looms. Continued as a weaving mill until 1963. Now re-purposed. Turn left to return to Watery Lane, then turn right to continue down the hill.

: 25. NUMBER 11 CLOUGH STREET Towards the bottom of Watery Lane turn right into Clough Street. According to Mike Rothwell’s book on Industrial Darwen these cottages were originally three separate dwellings, each with a loom shop. Before the mills and the advent of the power loom many cottages and farms in Darwen between the early 18th century and the start of the 19th century produced cotton goods on hand looms.

: 26. NUMBER 12 COAL MINING – SOUGH COLLIERY At the end of Clough Street go through the gate and along the lane about 30 yards and there is an allotment with chickens on your left. From the path you can see the concrete capping of the coal mine which was worked here – it is at the top of the banking between three sheds. Prior to woollen and cotton goods being produced in Darwen coal was one of its major products, and the pit at Hoddlesden continued right through the second world war. Coal shafts are indicated on the 1911 maps of Darwen, principally in the area between Cranberry Lane and Roman Road. There is a similar capped shaft further along this path in the field near Kirkham’s Farm. From here return to Watery Lane and turn right.

: 27. NUMBER 13 TACKFIELD MILL Built in 1854 as a cotton weaving mill with 320 looms, the mill closed in 1929. This two storey building, which can be found by turning into Cranberry Lane on the bend at the end of Causeway Street, is part of the original mill and part of the weaving shed behind also remains. The whole complex has been re-purposed. Further up Cranberry Lane was Greenfield Mill which was visited by Gandhi in the 1930s, built in 1865 with 1180 looms at its height, it closed in 1959 and has since been completely demolished. The land is now a housing site.

: 28. NUMBER 14 SPRINGFIELD MILL, SOUGH From Tackfield Mill, retrace your steps to the end of Cranberry Lane and turn right up the hill to the railway bridge. Look over the bridge to your right and you will see that the site has remained undeveloped and forms garden allotments. Built around 1855 it had a maximum of 432 looms. The mill closed in 1927 and was finally demolished in the 1940s. The site can be viewed closer by entering the old Pole Lane Route just over the railway bridge on your right, and contains part of the base of the chimney and some of the boundary walls only.

: 29. NUMBER 15 HAMPDEN MILL From the railway bridge carry on along the road to the roundabout and turn left into Grimshaw Street. As you go down the hill there are some new industrial developments on the left and at the bottom of the hill is Hampden Mill which was started in around 1862 with 462 looms, and closed in 1933. The mill has since been re-purposed

: 30. NUMBER 16 SPRING VALE ROPERY As you descend Grimshaw Street, look for this pathway on your right which follows the route of the River Darwen. Started before 1860 the ropery continued to the 1970s. It ran alongside the River Darwen between the path and the river. This was one of two rope works in Darwen and provided the vital ropes which connected the engine drive wheels into the weaving sheds and the shafts which connected to the looms or spinning machines by leather belts.

: 31. Follow this path, keeping the river on your left.

: 32. NUMBER 17 BRITANNIA MILLS Running alongside the River Darwen is the Britannia Mills, and just behind it the Vale Brook Mill. Britannia Mill started in 1875 and continued until the 1930s. Originally a spinning mill with 18,888 mule spindles and 26,664 ring spindles, the addition of a weaving shed included 624 looms. The impressive size of the mill can be absorbed by making your way to the bank of the river and looking in both directions. You can also see by the straight length why this site was chosen for the ropery. The site has been re-purposed.

: 33. At the end of the lane you will come to Cross Street. The way to continue is by crossing the road and entering the footpath which leads into Ashton Park.

: 34. Before entering the path, look back and you will see the outer wall of the Britannia Mill with the shape of the northern light roofing impressed upon it.

: 35. NUMBER 18 ALBERT MILL Continue along the path towards Ashton Park and you will arrive at a footbridge crossing the River Darwen. There you will see the outer wall of Albert Mill, built around 1876 as a cotton spinning mill with 36,198 spindles. The mill closed in 1931 and has since become part of the Frank Barnes group. Most of the buildings have been demolished, but this outer wall is original.

: 36. Cross the river by the footbridge and walk to the corner where you will see the original sluice gate and overflow which allowed the River Darwen to feed the four large mill ponds . Only one of these now remains and is the duck pond for Ashton Park.

: 37. NUMBER 19 HOPE MILL Continue along the path by the river and you will come to the rear wall of Hope Mill. Built in 1856 it had over 900 looms in the weaving shed and was in operation until 1955. This is the rear outer wall – the front wall on Cross Street has the name of the mill and its date inscribed in stone. Evertaut owned the mill for a while, and now it has been re-purposed by the Frank Barnes group.

: 38. Continue along the cobbled path beyond the entrance to Ashton Park and you will eventually come to the site of the former Darwen Mill.

: 39. NUMBER 20 DARWEN MILL Built around 1852 this was a cotton spinning mill. The mill closed in 1930 and from 1933 Darwen Paper Mill used it as a warehouse. Since demolished the land is still to be cleared and what looks like the base of the chimney can be seen through the temporary fencing.

: 40. NUMBER 21 MILL PIT COAL SHAFT Walk up Balle Street by the side of Kenley’s and on the green space at the top on your right is the capped coal shaft. In use from around 1820 to 1844 it provided coal for Darwen Mills.

: 41. NUMBER 22 DARWEN PAPER MILLS Retrace your steps down Balle Street and turn right at the bottom. Built around the same time as India Mill on the former site of Hilton’s Old Paper Mill. Darwen Paper Mill made use of the large volume of water required for paper making supplied by the four reservoirs nearby. Original building has been replaced and now forms the headquarters for Kenley Warehousing and Distribution.

: 42. NUMBER 23 INDIA MILL Built in 1859 and finished in 1871, the mill was for cotton spinning and in 1892 operated 84,308 mule spindles. The chimney is Grade II* listed whilst the mill itself is Grade II listed. The building at the base of the chimney and extending to the mill building was constructed later to house the new engines for the mill. Walk past the base of the India Mill chimney, keeping to the left and you will come across a circular ramp up to the main road.

: 43. At the top of the curved path is the cross compound engine which was brought from Bowling Green Mill. and across the main road is Radford Mill with its square stone built chimney showing. On reaching Bolton Road turn right going down the hill towards the town centre.

: 44. NUMBER 24 CARRS MILL This was situated on the site of the current India Mill Car Park. Started in around 1845 it had 794 looms at its maximum and finished operating in 1930. It was demolished in 1938 and there is now no evidence of its existence. HOLME MILL was situated just across the River Darwen which is now in a culvert and has now been replaced by the modern units of Kaman. Started in 1850 as both a spinning and weaving mill, it ended up as solely weaving with a maximum of 600 looms. In 1939 weaving stopped and in 1941 it was used for war service. Weaving started again in 1951 but the mill closed for the last time in 1958

: 45. NUMBER 25 LODGE BANK WORKS Just past the left side of the gate for Kaman you will find a set of steps which lead down to Taylor Street. Go down the steps and through the narrow alley onto Taylor Street and turn left. Started in 1893 and once the home of Joseph Hibbert & Co, Engineers, this was the works which produced the vertical steam engine for Sunnybank Mill which now stands preserved at the South end of Darwen Vale Academy. The works closed in 1938 and has been in multiple use since. The current building is a re-build following the destruction of the previous premises by fire.

: 46. NUMBER 26 COLLINS PAPER MILL Built in 1861 and in operation until 1901. The chimney base is on Bolton Road on the opposite side of the building and is the square in the corner of the former forecourt of Britannia Motors. Now re-purposed. From here follow the River Darwen, keeping the river on your left until you reach Hardman Way at the corner of the Sainsbury building.

: 47. NUMBER 27 BOLTON ROAD FOUNDRY & NEW BRIDGE MILL BOLTON ROAD FOUNDRY was once the home of J & R Shorrock who amongst other things made looms for cotton weaving mills in Darwen and the surrounding area. On the site now occupied by Sainsbury was NEW BRIDGE MILL, a weaving mill containing around 375 looms at its height. The mill was built in 1851, and weaving continued until 1930 after which the mill was used for a variety of purposes until demolition. Turn left onto Hardman Way, then at the traffic lights turn right to return to the Circus.

What To See In Darwen

Listed Buildings in Darwen & Hoddlesden

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Listed Buildings in Tockholes