Wyedean Weaving unveils 200k Haworth mill investment

A 150-year-old Grade II listed mill in Haworth has had a £200k facelift thanks to family business Wyedean Weaving.

Bridgehouse Mill was among the first water powered textile mills on the River Worth 1 and was pivotal in Haworth’s role in the industrialisation of the textile industry. Now home to Wyedean Weaving’s production of ceremonial military uniform accoutrement for armed and uniformed services at home and abroad, the mill, which is occupied by the company, has been future proofed for “the next 100 years”.

Led by Managing Director Robin Wright, the fourth generation family business has occupied Bridgehouse Mill since 1964 and just ahead of the company’s 60^th anniversary, has invested £160k in essential modernisation including the installation of solar panels which are expected to generate around 90% of the building’s total electrical energy consumption.

Robin Wright said: “This has been a two-year project, supported by £42k of grant funding from the Keighley Towns Fund. As a local family, we have operated out of Bridgehouse Mill for almost 60 years and are committed to maintaining its important role in this community by continuing its 150-year legacy as a manufacturer and an employer.”

The improvement works include solar panel installation, roof insulation, new lighting – including replacing some original lights which were first used to provide good natural light for the final inspection process of newly woven cloth – replacing 60% of external windows, double glazing, blast cleaning of stonework, external paintwork and the replacement of the original finial at the highest point of the mill.

Robin added: “This is stage one of our two-tier refurbishment plan to give our business more useable space in a historic building, by making it fit for growth and service in the 21^st Century. Our main roof refurbishment and insulation means we now have additional useable space at the very top of our building and at the start of 2024 we have exciting plans to revitalise our office area by blending the original pine vaulted ceilings and exposed red brick with modern glass balustrades, internal partitions and by maximising natural light.

1 https://www.bradford.gov.uk/media/2379/haworthrevisedcaa.pdf