Sunny Bank Mills

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Sunny Bank Mills Gallery entrance in 2017 Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley 01 2 September 2017.jpg
Sunny Bank Mills Gallery entrance in 2017

Sunny Bank Mills is a former textile mill, which specialised in worsted cloth, set in 10 acres of land located on Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, England. [1] Since 2010, it has been developed as a business and artistic community, with an exhibitions gallery selling fine art by local artists; a textile and local history archive; shops, cafés, artist studios; as well as outdoor spaces. [2] It is run by the Gaunt family who took ownership in 1943. [2] [3] The archive was awarded Archive Community Accreditation by West Yorkshire Archive Service in January 2021. [4]

Contents

History

In 1820, a group of local clothiers set up a co-operative venture in Farsley to share the cost of rent. [1] They built a woollen scribbling and fulling mill, known as The Farsley Club Mill. [5] By 1839, the mill was known as Sunny Bank Mills and run by the firm of Roberts, Ross & Co. [6] [7] In 1842, the mill was one of several local mills shut down temporarily by rioters. [8] In 1881, the mill was sold to Edwin Woodhouse for £9,540, comprising two mills, weaving sheds, outbuildings, several houses, three reservoirs and land. [9] Woodhouse had worked his way up as an apprentice to a woollen manufacturer, and later a travelling salesman, starting his own business in Huddersfield and then moving to Leeds in 1871; after purchasing Sunny Bank Mills he set up a limited company E. Woodhouse and Co. [10] Woodhouse introduced fine worsted cloth manufacture and very quickly established the factory as a high-quality producer. [10] By 1900, it was one of the biggest textile manufacturers in Leeds, producing fine cloth recognised globally for its quality. [11] Woodhouse also became a town councillor and Lord Mayor of Leeds in 1905. [10]

In 1912, a large mill building was constructed. [12] It was later used as a location for British TV series Heartbeat and Emmerdale . [12]

In November 1943, Derek Alfred Gaunt, younger son of William Clifford Gaunt, acquired the Ordinary shares of E. Woodhouse and Co. and took over Sunny Bank with controlling interest. [3] William Gaunt had become a multi-millionaire but had lost a lot of money in the Great Depression. [3] A holding company was formed to look after the shares surrendered by William and by 1943 there was enough money to settle William's debts and allow Derek to acquire Sunny Bank. [3] After WWII, the family moved into supplying high-quality cloth to the Middle East. [1]

In 2008, the Gaunt family sold the textile business but kept the mill buildings. [1] Cousins William and John Gaunt formed Edwin Woodhouse to run the mill. [13] The family then began an extensive restoration project which involved providing premises for a range of businesses - numbering over 70 and employing over 350 people, in 2020. [1] Ten historic looms were sourced from Dewsbury, and became eight working looms available for use by the general public. [1] The 1912 mill building was restored and a new light roof was installed. [13]

In 2017, a not-for-profit company was set up to safeguard the textile archive, overseeing the management, restoration, conservation and promotion of the archive. [11] In 2020, "Project Boilerhouse" was launched to develop further areas of the 10 acres of land. [1] The Weavers' Yard project was completed in November 2020 by CBM Construction and KPP architects. [12] The oldest buildings on the site, dating to 1829, were restored [12] and five-thousand square feet of green space was created. [12]

In 2022 the mills served as the filming location for series 8 of The Great British Sewing Bee. [14]

Archive

The archive is housed in a 3,000 sq ft old warping shed; as of 2017, it is currently being catalogued, preserved and developed. [11] As of 2020, the archive is open to members of the public one day a week. [1] The business records provide information about who worked at the mill and their occupations. [1] The archive was awarded Archive Community Accreditation by West Yorkshire Archive Service in January 2021. [4] A highlight is the collection of Guard books: reference books detailing cloth production from 1829 till 2008 by year and season, with order references. [15]

A research and exhibition project in 2018, on the role of the mill and workers in World War One entitled 'Threads of War', was awarded £10,000 from the National Heritage Lottery Fund as well as attracting researchers from other local archives and reaching out to local primary schools. [15] [16]

In addition to artist studios and artist residency spaces, there are several exhibition venues at the Mills. [5] Exhibitions of work for sale in the gallery and shop space last around six weeks. [17] There is an exhibition of art students' work yearly. [5] The gallery is part of the national "Own Art" scheme. [18] It is also a member of the "Donut Project", aimed at encouraging culture in Leeds' suburbs. [5] There are plans for an arts festival of Leeds' artists and a sculpture trail in 2023 as part of a city-wide celebration of culture. [5]

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The eighth series of The Great British Sewing Bee began on 27 April 2022. Sara Pascoe replaced Joe Lycett as the presenter of the show, with both Esme Young and Patrick Grant returning as judges. This series saw the programme moving out of London, it being filmed in a former textile mill called the Sunny Bank Mills, located in Farsley, Leeds. For the first time ever, there were 4 finalists in the final.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "The remarkable family story behind this landmark Yorkshire mill that is still weaving a yarn". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 "History - Sunny Bank Mills | Art Gallery & Business Space in Leeds". Sunny Bank Mills. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Commercial Romance". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. Saturday 13 November 1943 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. 1 2 "Archive Community Accreditation". Sunny Bank Mills. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "How lockdown and a collapsed capital of cultural bid is not stopping local artists celebrating city's creativity". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  6. ↑ "Obituary of Joseph Ross, cloth manufacturer". Leeds Mercury. Saturday 13 April 1839 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ↑ "Obituary of Jonathan Marshall, cloth manufacturer". Leeds Mercury. Saturday 24 February 1844 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ↑ "Farsley". Bradford Observer. Thursday 25 August 1842 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ↑ "Local and District News". Huddersfield Chronicle. Monday 21 November 1881 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. 1 2 3 "Death of Mr E. Woodhouse". Leeds Mercury. Tuesday 20 November 1923 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. 1 2 3 "'˜Significant' textile collection secured for the future". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "£2m Weavers' Yard project part of regeneration of Sunny Bank Mills". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  13. 1 2 "Mill complex set to be 'heartbeat' of the area". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  14. ↑ Nisbet, Megan (11 May 2022). "BBC's Sewing Bee series has changed locations for season 8". YorkshireLive.
  15. 1 2 "'Threads of War: The Story of First World War Khaki' project at Sunny Bank Mills receives National Lottery Funding". Bdaily Business News. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  16. ↑ "Inspired by Archives". Catablogue. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  17. ↑ "Sunny Bank Mills - Attraction - Pudsey - West Yorkshire | Welcome to Yorkshire". www.yorkshire.com. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  18. ↑ "Sunny Bank Mills". Own Art. Retrieved 13 February 2022.

Coordinates: 53°48′50″N1°40′12″W / 53.814°N 1.670°W / 53.814; -1.670

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