Helmshore Mills

The mills here at Helmshore are the finest surviving examples of working textile mills dating from the late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.

The story here starts in 1789 with the construction of the Woollen Fulling mill (Higher Mill) by the Turner Family. Initially processing woollen cloth woven by Handloom Weavers in their homes, this later came from the Turners own Mills. These being constructed in the 1820s, a woollen Spinning mill now known as Whitaker Mill adjacent to the Fulling mill and a multi-storied Weaving mill (Middle Mill -not part of the museum) further down the road. 

Higher Mill processed Woollen Cloth until 1967 and until the 1950s was solely water powered. On closure it was saved by the Higher Mill Trust who had been founded to preserve this unique example of a Fulling mill. 

On that note it should be stated that there are only two complete fulling mills left in existence, Higher Mill at Helmshore and one in the Krka national park in Croatia.   

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On 20th January 1857 the Woollen Spinning mill was destroyed by fire, it was rebuilt and eventually reopened in the late 1860s as a Fine Cotton Spinning mill.

This operated until the 1920s when it was reconfigured to be a Cotton Condenser Spinning mill processing waste cotton from the surrounding industry. This worked until 1978 when it closed and eventually became part of the museum.