Mills – Derwent Mills Harris Mill

Mills - Derwent Mills Harris Mill - Derwent Mill

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Derwent Mills Harris Mill linen drying field 1929 p2 — Derwent Mills from britainfromabove.org.uk 1929. Derwent Mills with a mill race that commences opposite the castle starting where the sluice gate remains where a board has an explanation and picture, further down the channel is a second explanation board where the water could be diverted back into the Derwent. This flow of water powered Low Gote Mill where the Harris family originally made linen before building this Derwent Mill; this water also powered High Gote Mill which is now used by Lawsons Haulage. Harris Mill. Linen from the mill was used to make early aeroplane wings. (source S Campbell) Fred Dibnah was contracted to demolish the chimney on Harris Mill. He weakened the structure and prepared to demolish it by fire the next day. An arsonist attempted to light the fire over night but failed so Fred was able to complete the task as planned. (source P Campbell)

Derwent Mills Harris Mill mill race Cockermouth Castle artistic interpretation pre 1932 p2 — Derwent Mills with Cockermouth Castle and chimneys artistic interpretation painting with errors eg castle from the advert

Derwent Mills Harris Mill workers on Millers Bridge over Derwent

Derwent Mills Harris Mills Flax Spinners Weavers advert Goat Mill Race 1905 p2 — Derwent Mills River Derwent with Goat Mill Race by a single storey building in 1905 advert for Harris and Sons with horse carts and Cockermouth Castle

Derwent Mills Jon Harris Flax Art Embroiderers visitors 6d Borough guide 1930 p2 — Derwent Mills Jon Harris & Sons Specialities in Flax Designers Traces and Art Embroiderers Ecclesiastical and for the house Visitors 6d Borough guide 1930

Derwent Mills Jon Harris Flax Designers Embroiderers Borough guide 1930 p2 — Derwent Mills Jon Harris & Sons Specialities in Flax Designers Traces and Art Embroiderers Ecclesiastical and for the house 1930 Borough guide327

Derwent Mills Jon Harris for Art Embroidery Show Rooms Flax Spinning Weaving Mill 6d 1930 p2 — Derwent Mills Jon Harris & Sons Ltd. Visitors to Cockermouth should inspect the Art Embroidery Show Rooms Flax Spinning Weaving Mill 6d charge 1930

Derwent Mills Jonathan Harris Mill advert 17th January 1907 p2 — Derwent Mills on Harris Mill advert for Jonathan Harris and sons Ltd, Derwent Mills Cockermouth, linen thread manufacturers, linen weavers, flax spinners 17th January 1907

Derwent Mills stone lithograph p2 — This lithograph was etched onto a stone slab in mirror image, note the writing. It was then used in printing. It was discoved by a Cockermouth person (who, get in touch) in his garden where the stone slab had been used for paving! See: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/artwork/stone-lithography.htm https://jerwoodvisualarts.org/art-techniques-and-materials-glossary/stone-lithography/

Derwent Mills Harris Mill linen thread samples

Derwent Mills Millers Bridge built by Harris family for their workers Bradford fertiliser factory — Derwent Mills Millers Bridge. The original bridge was built by the Harris family for their workers. The single storey building was called Bradford because that company made fertilizer from dried blood – other brands still available from garden centres as blood and bone fertiliser.

Derwent Mills Millers Bridge over Derwent low building was Bradford Fertiliser Company — Mill race Millers Bridge over Derwent shows the second part of the bridge crossing the mill race that powered Gote Mills – corner of low building on right was Bradford Fertiliser Company c 1940

Derwent Mills Millers factory and chimney c 1990

Derwent Mills Millers factory and chimney looking over Derwent to gas holder. The gas holder was at the top of Horsman Street Derwent Street area, now Woodville Park housing. The chimney was demlished by fire by Fred Dibnah and most buildings demolished for housing.

Derwent Mills Millers factory and chimney Memorial Gardens and Derwent to right — Derwent Mills, Millers factory with its adjacent manufacturing buildings and the chimney later demolished by Fred Dibnah. Derwent to right of Memorial Gardens.

Derwent Mills Millers factory and Derwentside Gardens estate

Derwent Mills Millers factory building now Derwentside Gardens with Brewery p3 — Derwent Mills Millers factory building now demolished and replaced with Derwentside Gardens. Other photos show only one single storey building so this photo indicates the success of the business that expanded as indicated here. Cockermouth brewery and castle on the right edge.

Derwent Mills Millers factory right offices left p3 — Derwent Mills with Millers manufacturing factory on the right and in the single storey building in front. On the left is the three storey office block which housed Sydney Hutchinson the Chairman and Managing Director of Millers and his son Patrick Hutchinson, Director. They were keen gardeners and helped with the annual flower and vegetable show each September by allowing the show to be held in Millers canteen, and also by publishing various documents for the gardening society. The office block on the left has an extension protruding that may have been related to activity its adjacent part to its right. This has been demolished and the office block extended to have another block with an extra three windows. The corrugated roofed building have all been demolished. The red brick building on the left edge has since been demolished and is now the site of Createc advanced technology business.

Derwent Mills Millers factory shows the low buildings that were demolished after closure 1970s p3 — Derwent Mills Millers factory shows the low buildings that were demolished after closure 1970s

Derwent Mills Millers factory water tank and chimney Millers Bridge over Derwent — Derwent Mills Millers factory shows the left tower topped by the water tank and the chimney later demolished by fire by Fred Dibnah. Taken from left bank of Derwent shows a Millers Bridge over Derwent before floods damaged it and knocked it off its supports – see flood history pages

Derwent Mills Millers factory water tank and chimney Millers Bridge over Derwent trees before flood

Derwent Mills Millers factory with chimney and Derwent in front — Derwent Mills Millers factory with chimney. Taken from garden of Trout Hotel looking over the Derwent to the footbridge.

Derwent Mills from the north across fields shows multiple stone buildings

Derwent Mills Millers shoe factory after closure in the 1990s — Derwent Mills Millers shoe factory with the wall behind which were long low buildings demolished after closure in the 1990s

Derwent Mills Millers shoe factory shop selling ladies shoes and boots p3 — Derwen Mills Millers shoe factory shop selling ladies shoes and boots, trading as Millora shoes for sale in their shoe shop. All other shoes and boots had the name of other brand names.

Derwent Mills shows Harris Mill linen drying area Wakefield Road Millfield Park road area pre 1934 p2 — Derwent Mills shows Harris Mill linen pulp laid in the drying area between Wakefield Road and Millfield Park road area. Read the description of the process of making linen cloth to understand the process (elsewhere on this website).

Derwent Mills was Harris Mill here the placid Derwent with swan

Derwent Mills was Harris Mill shows chimney Derwent footbridge and large gravel bank low water level — Harris Mill and chimney. The building was built in the 1870s by the Harris family for their linen works aftger moving from Low Gote Mill works. Harris Mill ceased trading in the 1930s. 1940 Millers transferred their shoe factory here from Great Yarmouth and continued trading until 1970s. Other businesses in the adjacent buildings were eg Bradford Fertilizer Co (dried blood). Millers expanded to use all adjacent buildings with more built behind. Eventually the large buildings became flats and the adjacent buildings demolished and Derwentside Gardens housing built. The footbridge was built by the Harris family for the benefit of their workers by demolishing a pub on Main Street which made Bridge Street with some cottages for their workers. The bridge was only open to let workers use it in morning and night go to their work.

Derwent Mills with flags on roof for Coronation children swimming 1953

Gote Mills mill race water channel from Derwent starting upstream of the castle p2 — Mill race water channel from Derwent starting upstream of the castle to power mills such as High Gote Mill in Gote Road that is now used by Lawsons Haulage. This is now an attractive path with an explanation board at the start of this water channel and another board where an overflow diversion was near the new housing estate.

Gote Mills mill race water channel from Derwent to power Low and High Gote Mills p2 — Gote mill race flows from the Derwent upstream of Cockermouth Castle, a path now goes to the start where a board and picture explain the purpose. Behind the girl and the two ladies is the field where linen was laid to dry, and (if accurate) be bleached as well as dried in the sun. The row of houses of the Gote Road is on the left and if the orientation is understood, the chimney is either the chimney of Fitz Mill on the bend of the Derwent, or is the chimney of the pumping station that took water from a borehole by the Derwent and pumped it to the top of Tallentire Hill where it flowed to Maryport – but is it High Gote Mill chimney?

Gote Mills mill race water channel runs by Derwent Mills — Derwent Mills with a mill race that commences opposite the castle on this right bank of the Derwent, starting where the sluice gate remains where a board has an explanation and picture, further down the channel is a second explanation board where the water could be diverted back into the Derwent. This flow of water powered Low Gote Mill where the Harris family originally made linen before building this Derwent Mill; this water also powered High Gote Mill which is now used by Lawsons Haulage. Below Cockermouth Castle is the washerwoman’s cottage, seen in other photos from across the Derwent.

Gote Mills mill race water channel sluice gate mechanism opposite Cockermouth Castle p4 — Gote mill race flows from the Derwent upstream of and opposite Cockermouth Castle, a path now goes to the start where a board and picture explain the purpose. This is the mechanism to raise and lower the sluice gate to initiate the flow of water that would power High Gote Mill and Low Gote Mills.

Gote Mills mill race water channel sluice gate opposite Cockermouth Castle p4 — Gote mill race flows from the Derwent upstream of and opposite Cockermouth Castle, a path now goes to the start where a board and picture explain the purpose.

Derwent Mills Harris Mill Fitz Mill Tweedmill composite photo pre 1918 p2 — Composite photo for a postcard of Mills of Cockermouth from the Papcastle road. Left chimney is pumping station for water to Maryport, to right is Harris linen mill to right is All Saints spire, far right is white large tweed mill that gave Tweedmill Lane, to right is tower of Christchurch. tweed mill demolished 1918. Harris Mill closed early 1930s then 1940 – 1990 Millers shoe factory from Great Yarmouth. Local people will have a confusion when trying to fix the place that the photo was taken from, however in these early days photography was an art form when the atraction of the end result was more important than the accuracy. Note the towering block that was Tweedmill by the double chimney but you may know Tweedmill Lane is low down in Cockermouth and was demolished in 1918.

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Cockermouth History

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