1 Paul E Patchett
Posted
1790’s Castlefield Mill built to make cotton yarn. 40 HP water wheel. The mill was founded by James Sidgwick from Leeds who’s dates are 1675 to 16/11/1765. The mill was first operated under the name of Sidgwick Wood & Co. Johnson Atkinson Busfield (died 1817) was a member of a group which owned Castlefield Mill.
1803 Castlefield Mill employed approximately 130 people, mostly women and children. Still using water power.
"Thank you Paul also for the documentation on the supply of water from Ravenroyd to Castlefield Mills and to Longwood.
This is rather intriguing in terms of the date of it all happening around 1940. I think that the properties on Longwood Avenue date from the late 1920s into the 30s so it partly ties in with those but Longwood House is of course much earlier. The original Castlefield Mill of pre 1800 was largely destroyed by fire in 1896 and then rebuilt as in the early 1900s. I would imagine that an initial domestic supply was obtained from the river and springs but by 1900 I would have thought that Bingley UDC would be undertaking supply into the Crossflatts area? It is also interesting that the development and agreement is through the Borough of Keighley and not with Bingley.
One last point. The agreement with Castlefield Mills is signed by J C Myers, Company Secretary and also a Director of the worsted manufacturers Myers and Robinson. The Company seems to have been constituted at Castlefields in 1919 - both individuals having prior separate concerns at Victoria Mills in Bingley. The concern later became a subsidiary of Stroud Riley, later Stroud Riley Drummond Group, and continued operating at the site until c1974 when all production was transferred to Drummond's Mill on Lumb Lane in Bradford."
The Ravenroyd spring water supply to Castlefield Mill I guess was probably discontinued as soon as town water was available, but it’s possible the older pipes under the river were kept in use for a while. I know they are still in place under one of our fields.