IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Sheffield Road, HOLMFIRTH, HD9 7ES

The window was into a former beam engine house that then contained a W H Allen inverted vertical compound (enclosed) steam engine. This is now at the Ellenroad Engine House in Lancashire. The wood door to the right opened to reveal a covered wheel pit that once held a breast shot wheel. The site has now been converted to apartments. I had received a tip-off that there was an engine in New Mill and spent a Sunday morning poking round looking through windows and dropping letters in letterboxes to ask mill owners if they had such a beast. I actually struck lucky at the first mill (this one) but still did the others.

This mill contained a modern steam engine - a W H Allen & Co Ltd inverted vertical compound steam engine built in 1911 in Bedford. The cylinders are 13.5" & 19" x 9" and it developed 240 BHP at 428 rpm driving an alternator. It exhausted to a jet condenser with a motor driven Edwards air-pump. It was installed secondhand in this former beam engine house in 1949 and ran until 1970. It was removed in 2004 and is now in store at Ellenroad Engine House. This photograph shows the jet condenser in front of the motor-driven Edwards air-pump. This condensing engine was unusual for a dyeworks. Condensing increases the power by increasing the mean effective pressure in the low-pressure cylinder but it also improves the thermodynamic efficiency (T1-T2/T1) by reducing the exhaust temperature and increasing the temperature drop. However, the latent heat of the exhaust steam is still rejected to the cooling water and does no useful work. By using the steam for process heating, that latent heat is recovered in the process, rather than being used to warm the cooling pond, and the overall cycle efficiency is improved.

This is a W H Allen & Co Ltd inverted vertical compound steam engine built in 1911 in Bedford. The cylinders are 13.5" & 19" x 9" and it developed 240 BHP at 428 rpm driving an alternator. It exhausted to a jet condenser with a motor driven Edwards air-pump. It was installed secondhand in this former beam engine house in 1949 and ran until 1970. It was removed in 2004 and is now in store at Ellenroad Engine House. The mills are now accommodation. A second mill block contained an impressive engine house that had obviously held a large vertical engine - a local speciality.

Where space on a road or path was limited, Brayshaw and Booth of Liversedge made flat castings for the West Riding CC instead of protruding ones. This one is on the A616 Sheffield Road, New Mill opposite No. 30 Fulstone. When a town name had more than 10 letters the name had to be cast at an angle as with Huddersfield. Then Sheffield was cast the same way to match. The foundry name on these flat plates is always at the top of the left-hand side. This milestone is Grade II listed 1228473.

Opposite No 30 Fulstone. Located on the West side of road, opposite a terrace row, against stone wall. Metal plate attached to stone post, Brayshaw & Booth casting design, erected by Wadsley & Langsett - New Mill District turnpike trust, 19th century. Inscription reads: lhs-HUDDERSFIELD / 6½ MILES rhs-SHEFFIELD / 20 MILES // NEW MILL DISTRICT / ROAD / FULSTONE // BRAYSHAW & BOOTH / MAKERS / LIVERSEDGE Grade II listed by Historic England. see https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1228473 Milestone Society National ID: YW_SFHU20

Opposite No 30 Fulstone. Located on the West side of road, opposite a terrace row, against stone wall. Metal plate attached to stone post, Brayshaw & Booth casting design, erected by Wadsley & Langsett - New Mill District turnpike trust, 19th century. An earlier photograph can be found here https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6748931. Inscription reads: HUDDERSFIELD / 6½ MILES :: SHEFFIELD / 20 MILES // NEW MILL DISTRICT / ROAD / FULSTONE :: BRAYSHAW & BOOTH / MAKERS / LIVERSEDGE Grade II listed by Historic England. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1228473 Milestone Society National ID: YW_SFHU20

Textile Mill, water and steam power originally. Latterly owned by Copley, Marshall & Co, Ltd, Dyers and Mercerisers. Photograph 8-2-03. Site is now being converted to apartments and the company have relocated.

An earlier view taken across the mill pond. There was once a breast shot water wheel on site. I believe that the site has now been converted for housing. A truly nice setting.

Yet another garden centre in Totties. this one has wild ducks and Wallabies!