Lister's Mill
Encyclopedia
Lister's Mill was the largest silk
factory in the world. It is located in the Manningham
district of Bradford
, West Yorkshire
, UK
and was built by Samuel Cunliffe Lister to replace the original Manningham Mills that were destroyed by fire in 1871. The mill is a Grade II* listed building, built in the Italianate style of Victorian architecture
.
At its height, Lister's employed 11,000 men, women and children - manufacturing high-quality textiles such as velvet
and silk. It supplied 1000 yards (914.4 m) of velvet for King George V
's coronation and in 1976 new velvet curtains for the President Ford White House
. The 1890-91 strike at the mill was important in the establishment of the Independent Labour Party
which later helped found the modern-day Labour Party
. On completion in 1873, Lister's Mill was the largest textile mill in North England. Floor space in the mill amounts to 27 acre
s (109,000 m²), and its imposing shape remains a dominant feature of the Bradford
skyline. The chimney of the mill is 255 feet (78 m) high, and can be seen from most areas of Bradford.
Powering all the machinery switched over to electricity in 1934. Before that huge steam boilers drove the mill. Every week the boilers consumed 1,000 tons of coal brought in on company rail wagons from the company collieries near Pontefract
. Water was also vital in the process and the company had its own supply network including a large covered reservoir on-site (now in 2006 that area is a piazza and underground car park).
During World War II
Lister's produced 1330 miles (2,140.4 km) of real parachute silk, 284 miles (457.1 km) of flame-proof wool, 50 miles (80.5 km) of khaki battledress and 4430 miles (7,129.4 km) of parachute cord.
trends such as increased use of artificial fibre
s were the reasons. In 1992 the mills were closed. Being a prominent structure the mills attracted a great deal of attention and several regeneration proposals came and went. The sheer size of the buildings being a major difficulty. However local residents, former workers and notably Reverend George Moffat never lost hope that the mills would rise again. They campaigned hard to save the mills.
bought the mills. They planned to to renovate the existing larger buildings and build new ones. Apartments, workplaces, shops and public spaces were planned to be part of Listers. A deal was finally struck whereby remedial work on the structures and removal of industrial waste would be part-funded by Yorkshire Forward, Bradford Council and English Heritage
. In September 2004 Freda Watts, a former silk weaver at Listers, cut a ribbon across the entrance to the mills - construction work had started.
The next landmark for the 100 million GBP project was the sales launch of the first phase. In late 2004 over 2,000 people queued (some overnight) to buy one of the 131 apartments being created in the south mill, now renamed Silk Warehouse. It was a sell out and a great boost for the project and the wider regeneration of Bradford
New residents started moving in during 2006. The next phase, regenerating the second large building is to be called Velvet Mill. It is planned to replace the existing roof on this building with a glass and steel structure housing two storey apartments. David Morley practice are the architects. The new homes went on sale in early 2007. The plan is to create a new piazza
with the huge mill chimney at its centre.
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
factory in the world. It is located in the Manningham
Manningham, Bradford
Manningham is an area of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, approximately a mile north of the city centre and is seen as the centre of the city's south Asian population.- Geography :...
district of Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and was built by Samuel Cunliffe Lister to replace the original Manningham Mills that were destroyed by fire in 1871. The mill is a Grade II* listed building, built in the Italianate style of Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
.
At its height, Lister's employed 11,000 men, women and children - manufacturing high-quality textiles such as velvet
Velvet
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed,with a short dense pile, giving it a distinctive feel.The word 'velvety' is used as an adjective to mean -"smooth like velvet".-Composition:...
and silk. It supplied 1000 yards (914.4 m) of velvet for King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
's coronation and in 1976 new velvet curtains for the President Ford White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. The 1890-91 strike at the mill was important in the establishment of the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
which later helped found the modern-day Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. On completion in 1873, Lister's Mill was the largest textile mill in North England. Floor space in the mill amounts to 27 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (109,000 m²), and its imposing shape remains a dominant feature of the Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
skyline. The chimney of the mill is 255 feet (78 m) high, and can be seen from most areas of Bradford.
Powering all the machinery switched over to electricity in 1934. Before that huge steam boilers drove the mill. Every week the boilers consumed 1,000 tons of coal brought in on company rail wagons from the company collieries near Pontefract
Pontefract
Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
. Water was also vital in the process and the company had its own supply network including a large covered reservoir on-site (now in 2006 that area is a piazza and underground car park).
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Lister's produced 1330 miles (2,140.4 km) of real parachute silk, 284 miles (457.1 km) of flame-proof wool, 50 miles (80.5 km) of khaki battledress and 4430 miles (7,129.4 km) of parachute cord.
Decline
The Lister's business decreased considerably during the 1980s. Stiff foreign competition and changing textileTextile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
trends such as increased use of artificial fibre
Fiber
Fiber is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of thread.They are very important in the biology of both plants and animals, for holding tissues together....
s were the reasons. In 1992 the mills were closed. Being a prominent structure the mills attracted a great deal of attention and several regeneration proposals came and went. The sheer size of the buildings being a major difficulty. However local residents, former workers and notably Reverend George Moffat never lost hope that the mills would rise again. They campaigned hard to save the mills.
Rebirth
In 2000 property developers Urban SplashUrban Splash
Urban Splash is a British company which regenerates decaying industrial warehouses, mills, Victorian terraced houses and other buildings. These buildings have mainly been converted into housing...
bought the mills. They planned to to renovate the existing larger buildings and build new ones. Apartments, workplaces, shops and public spaces were planned to be part of Listers. A deal was finally struck whereby remedial work on the structures and removal of industrial waste would be part-funded by Yorkshire Forward, Bradford Council and English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
. In September 2004 Freda Watts, a former silk weaver at Listers, cut a ribbon across the entrance to the mills - construction work had started.
The next landmark for the 100 million GBP project was the sales launch of the first phase. In late 2004 over 2,000 people queued (some overnight) to buy one of the 131 apartments being created in the south mill, now renamed Silk Warehouse. It was a sell out and a great boost for the project and the wider regeneration of Bradford
New residents started moving in during 2006. The next phase, regenerating the second large building is to be called Velvet Mill. It is planned to replace the existing roof on this building with a glass and steel structure housing two storey apartments. David Morley practice are the architects. The new homes went on sale in early 2007. The plan is to create a new piazza
Piazza
A piazza is a city square in Italy, Malta, along the Dalmatian coast and in surrounding regions. The term is roughly equivalent to the Spanish plaza...
with the huge mill chimney at its centre.