Home to roost

Image: © Jonathan Kington Taken: 20 Mar 2011

The pigeons seem to have taken over the upper floors of Brookside Mill, looking through the windows it looks as if there is some water ingress that is bringing the ceiling down. I am not sure what the hoist is for, it could either have been a type of fire escape or it could have been for raising goods to the top floor. The rainwater hopper carries the date of 1835, the year the mill was built. Brookside Mill is named for the stream running alongside it which, along with steam, was originally used for power. It was built in 1835 as one of only three mills producing silk in Congleton during the 19th century; the construction is of brick with five stories and each floor being supported internally by cast iron columns. In 1946 the mill was taken over by the Bossons family who were manufacturers of ceramic figurines and wall plaques, at this time the mill became known as Bossons’ Mill. December 1996 saw Bossons cease trading and the mill closed. Since then there have been some attempts at developing the site with a block of modern apartments to the rear, for some reason these are all standing empty and beginning to look neglected- allegedly the developers ran into problems and the site is on the market. Now known as Silk Mill it is Grade II listed but is looking in a very sorry and, indeed, dangerous state; the brickwork is crumbling and sagging badly.

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0