Wardle & Davenport Ltd (The Big mill) silk manufacturer, Leek, march 2013

:thumb Visited with stopford_lad and noodlethesis :thumb

With a txt off stopford_lad askin me do i want to go and check out Big mill in leek i said yes and jumped at the chance.

Here is some history of the place

Wardle & davenport also know as The big mill in Staffordshire Built in 1857 by the famous Victorian architect William sugden.
George Davenport was owner of Wardle and Davenport, the rayon manufacturer, and lived (late nineteenth century) at Foxlowe in leek.
Memorandum and articles of association of Wardle & Davenport Limited, registered 30 October 1899. Hacker & Allen, Leek, Staffordshire. The company was to purchase the business formerly carried on by Wardle & Davenport at the Big Mill, Leek, Staffordshire, as a going concern. They were to "carry on the business of silk manufacturers, spinners, throwsters, weavers, braid, cord and trimming manufacturers and merchants in all or any departments, branches and processes and to purchase and prepare, manufacture or deal in silk, hair, mohair, alpaca, flax, hemp, jute, woollen, worsted, cotton and other fibrous substances, products and materials.." The capital was to be £150000. The directors were: George Davenport of Stockwell Street, Leek; Mrs Sarah Davenport of the same place; William Henry Rider of Basford Hurst, Leek and his wife Martha; Fred Davenport of Leigh House, Leek and his wife Alice Lee Davenport and Eliza Davenport, widow, of Woodcroft, Leek.


Here is my shots
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Looking down the lift shaft with my lens cap in the way

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And here is a few from the roof
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Thanks for looking hope you enjoyed

You've been very busy lately, nice one keep em coming!

like the look of this :) classic mills

Never heard of this one and looks quite a big site. You've been doing some good stuff recently :thumb