Background History
Construction of Dalton mills by Joseph Craven started in 1866 and they were in full operation by 1870. The complex consisted of three mills: the Tower Mill, the Genappe Mill and the New Mill, and these were constructed in phases. At their peak the mills employed over 2000 workers and the business was one of the largest in Yorkshire. Due to the decline of the textile industry in the latter part of the 20th century, the mills fell into disuse and were sold in the mid 2000s to a developer who carried out restoration works on some of the buildings, converting them for mixed commercial use. The Genappe Mill in particular became famous for its use as a filming location for productions such as Peaky Blinders and The Limehouse Golem,
However, the complex was beset by arson attacks, firstly in 2011 when the link between the Genappe and New mills was burned out, then more recently in 2022 when the Genappe Mill itself was completely gutted by fire along with the adjoining workshop. Some tenants remained on-site following the fire but since then the owning company has been dissolved and all the tenants have left, resulting in the complex becoming fully abandoned. Unfortunately this means that the entire place has rapidly deteriorated, with vandalism, theft and spontaneous combustion of the buildings becoming a major problem. The outdoor parts are littered with burned out cars, broken glass and various other rubbish, making it look like something from a war zone. The future of the mills is currently uncertain, with a few parties interested in acquiring the site, and heritage organisations keen to see the buildings saved rather than demolished.
The Explore
I’m very late to the party with this one but the situation has developed somewhat since previous reports and I thought this was worth sharing. The famous Genappe Mill (which forms about a third of the site and is the most visible from the road) has been reported on many times in the past and since the fire of 2022 it has been nothing but a shell littered with dangerous burned debris inside. On our visit we avoided this entirely and instead focused upon the rest of the complex, predominantly the New Mill, the Tower Mill, and the original engine house, which have mostly not been featured before due to them only recently being vacated. This turned out to be quite an interesting explore and we spent over two hours having a relaxed and undisturbed poke around.
This report will be in three sections, Part 1 covering the New Mill, Part 2 covering the Tower Mill and Part 3 the Engine House.
Part 1: The New Mill
Construction of Dalton mills by Joseph Craven started in 1866 and they were in full operation by 1870. The complex consisted of three mills: the Tower Mill, the Genappe Mill and the New Mill, and these were constructed in phases. At their peak the mills employed over 2000 workers and the business was one of the largest in Yorkshire. Due to the decline of the textile industry in the latter part of the 20th century, the mills fell into disuse and were sold in the mid 2000s to a developer who carried out restoration works on some of the buildings, converting them for mixed commercial use. The Genappe Mill in particular became famous for its use as a filming location for productions such as Peaky Blinders and The Limehouse Golem,
However, the complex was beset by arson attacks, firstly in 2011 when the link between the Genappe and New mills was burned out, then more recently in 2022 when the Genappe Mill itself was completely gutted by fire along with the adjoining workshop. Some tenants remained on-site following the fire but since then the owning company has been dissolved and all the tenants have left, resulting in the complex becoming fully abandoned. Unfortunately this means that the entire place has rapidly deteriorated, with vandalism, theft and spontaneous combustion of the buildings becoming a major problem. The outdoor parts are littered with burned out cars, broken glass and various other rubbish, making it look like something from a war zone. The future of the mills is currently uncertain, with a few parties interested in acquiring the site, and heritage organisations keen to see the buildings saved rather than demolished.
The Explore
I’m very late to the party with this one but the situation has developed somewhat since previous reports and I thought this was worth sharing. The famous Genappe Mill (which forms about a third of the site and is the most visible from the road) has been reported on many times in the past and since the fire of 2022 it has been nothing but a shell littered with dangerous burned debris inside. On our visit we avoided this entirely and instead focused upon the rest of the complex, predominantly the New Mill, the Tower Mill, and the original engine house, which have mostly not been featured before due to them only recently being vacated. This turned out to be quite an interesting explore and we spent over two hours having a relaxed and undisturbed poke around.
This report will be in three sections, Part 1 covering the New Mill, Part 2 covering the Tower Mill and Part 3 the Engine House.
Part 1: The New Mill
Viewed from the rear, the New Mill sits blackened from the industrial smoke of the past. When I last checked in 2023, the ground floor of this building still showed signs of activity.
Inside it was soon apparent that the ground floor was disused, and was littered with various rubbish, a couple of scrap cars and a huge number of traffic cones. However, the original iron columns were there in all their glory, along with some excellent peeling paint.
Venturing out through the arch towards the yard we passed an ancient lift
Looking across towards the remains of the Genappe Mill
This grand entrance led to the stairs to the New Mill's upper floors
We were surprised by how thick the old glass was
Stepping out onto the first floor landing was a nerve wracking experience but there was enough solid wood to reach the entrance of the production floor
However, we ventured no further into this floor for obvious reasons!
Columns featuring ornate brackets which would have originally carried the line shafts
Moving further upstairs we spotted a door lying on the staircase. Brushing away the debris we found the painted name "Emu Wools", which was a wool producer founded in Keighley in the 1850s. They are still in operation today.
The top floor was even more rotten than the one below, but featured this lovely little bit of line shafting with pulleys
And the prospect of certain death. Not fancying a trip to A&E we descended back down to the yard.
A better look at the ruins of the Genappe Mill, destroyed by fire in 2022, The interior was littered with charred beams and iron support columns, some of which still stand upright. Although declared stable by English Heritage following the fire, there were cracks visible in the outer walls in places.
A more modern ancillary building which appeared to have been last used as garages
Looking down the yard we were met with an almost post-apocalyptic scene. Presumably the vehicles were abandoned by the garage operators, some of them weren't even that old. We walked past these on our way to the next mill...
Continues in Part 2
Inside it was soon apparent that the ground floor was disused, and was littered with various rubbish, a couple of scrap cars and a huge number of traffic cones. However, the original iron columns were there in all their glory, along with some excellent peeling paint.
Venturing out through the arch towards the yard we passed an ancient lift
Looking across towards the remains of the Genappe Mill
This grand entrance led to the stairs to the New Mill's upper floors
We were surprised by how thick the old glass was
Stepping out onto the first floor landing was a nerve wracking experience but there was enough solid wood to reach the entrance of the production floor
However, we ventured no further into this floor for obvious reasons!
Columns featuring ornate brackets which would have originally carried the line shafts
Moving further upstairs we spotted a door lying on the staircase. Brushing away the debris we found the painted name "Emu Wools", which was a wool producer founded in Keighley in the 1850s. They are still in operation today.
The top floor was even more rotten than the one below, but featured this lovely little bit of line shafting with pulleys
And the prospect of certain death. Not fancying a trip to A&E we descended back down to the yard.
A better look at the ruins of the Genappe Mill, destroyed by fire in 2022, The interior was littered with charred beams and iron support columns, some of which still stand upright. Although declared stable by English Heritage following the fire, there were cracks visible in the outer walls in places.
A more modern ancillary building which appeared to have been last used as garages
Looking down the yard we were met with an almost post-apocalyptic scene. Presumably the vehicles were abandoned by the garage operators, some of them weren't even that old. We walked past these on our way to the next mill...
Last edited:
