IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Mountbatten Way, CONGLETON, CW12 1DG

Fustian cutting mil built 1878-1887. The central gabled bay and the clock tower are both convincing but are late twentieth century additions. The mill is L shaped. It is now converted to offices. Congleton still retains many mills and many have been converted to apartments or offices, most quite tastefully.

Formerly a cigar manufacturing mill built at the beginning of the 20th century, this fine building now houses offices. For a close-up of the clock tower on the roof see Image

This clock with the weathervane above are mounted on the roof of Image, although the weathervane still worked the clock seems to have long stopped. For centuries weathervanes, or weathercocks, have kept people in touch with the elements, signalling those shifts in the wind, which bring changes in the weather. Nowadays they are typically used as an architectural ornament at the highest point of a building. Although the cockerel is the traditional design, ships, arrows, pheasants, people and horses to name but a few are also common. Weathervanes are designed in such a way that the weight is evenly distributed on each side of the surface, but the surface area is unequally divided, so that the pointer can move freely on its axis. The side with the larger surface area is blown away from the wind direction, so that the smaller side, with the pointer, turns to face the wind direction. Most vanes have pointers below that are aligned with the compass points, north, east, south and west. Because of a papal edict in the 9th century there were a great number of weathercocks to be found on churches, the edict ordered that every Church in Christendom had to be mounted with a cockerel to symbolise Peter’s betrayal of Christ (Luke 22:34- "I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me"). Although the edict only required the cockerel to be a symbol it soon became a weathervane and by the 13th century both terms, weathercock and weathervane, were being used interchangeably. Because Christian churches are always laid out east to west early weathercocks did not need to have compass directions attached to them.

Works in Worrall Street.

On Worrall Street, a fustian cutting mill of the 1870s, one bay by 21 bays. Now converted.

The metal steps were the fire escape from Brookside Mill, the tall round structure looks as if it might have been the flue for a steam engine. 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.

The empty space in the middle is where Brook Mill stood. The tower on the right is the main bit standing and on the left it had been contiguous with Stonehouse Green Mill where the braced red wall is. The mill had been a steam powered 5 storey silk spinning mill built in 1835. I believe it had been intended to convert it to housing but it has now disappeared. It is seen in this view - Image

Formerly Bossuns Mill, manufacturer of ceramics, this empty shell has been left to decay.

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.