Sunny Bank Mills

Photograph showing the entrance to the gallery in the Sunny Bank Mills complex, a textile mill dating to the early 19th century, in Farsley, Leeds.
Sunny Bank Mills Gallery entrance in 2017

Sunny Bank Mills is a former textile mill, which specialised in worsted cloth, set in 10 acres of land located on Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, England.[1] Since 2010, it has been developed as a business and artistic community, with an exhibitions gallery selling fine art by local artists; a textile and local history archive; shops, cafés, artist studios; as well as outdoor spaces.[2] It is run by the Gaunt family who took ownership in 1943.[2][3] The archive was awarded Archive Community Accreditation by West Yorkshire Archive Service in January 2021.[4]

History

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In 1820, a group of local clothiers set up a co-operative venture in Farsley to share the cost of rent.[1] They built a woollen scribbling and fulling mill, known as The Farsley Club Mill.[5] By 1839, the mill was known as Sunny Bank Mills and run by the firm of Roberts, Ross & Co.[6][7] In 1842, the mill was one of several local mills shut down temporarily by rioters.[8] In 1881, the mill was sold to Edwin Woodhouse for £9,540, comprising two mills, weaving sheds, outbuildings, several houses, three reservoirs and land.[9] Woodhouse had worked his way up as an apprentice to a woollen manufacturer, and later a travelling salesman, starting his own business in Huddersfield and then moving to Leeds in 1871; after purchasing Sunny Bank Mills he set up a limited company E. Woodhouse and Co.[10] Woodhouse introduced fine worsted cloth manufacture and very quickly established the factory as a high-quality producer.[10] By 1900, it was one of the biggest textile manufacturers in Leeds, producing fine cloth recognised globally for its quality.[11] Woodhouse also became a town councillor and Lord Mayor of Leeds in 1905.[10]

In 1912, a large mill building was constructed.[12] It was later used as a location for British TV series Heartbeat and Emmerdale.[12]

In November 1943, Derek Alfred Gaunt, younger son of William Clifford Gaunt, acquired the Ordinary shares of E. Woodhouse and Co. and took over Sunny Bank with controlling interest.[3] William Gaunt had become a multi-millionaire but had lost a lot of money in the Great Depression.[3] A holding company was formed to look after the shares surrendered by William and by 1943 there was enough money to settle William's debts and allow Derek to acquire Sunny Bank.[3] After WWII, the family moved into supplying high-quality cloth to the Middle East.[1]

In 2008, the Gaunt family sold the textile business but kept the mill buildings.[1] Cousins William and John Gaunt formed Edwin Woodhouse to run the mill.[13] The family then began an extensive restoration project which involved providing premises for a range of businesses - numbering over 70 and employing over 350 people, in 2020.[1] Ten historic looms were sourced from Dewsbury, and became eight working looms available for use by the general public.[1] The 1912 mill building was restored and a new light roof was installed.[13]

In 2017, a not-for-profit company was set up to safeguard the textile archive, overseeing the management, restoration, conservation and promotion of the archive.[11] In 2020, "Project Boilerhouse" was launched to develop further areas of the 10 acres of land.[1] The Weavers' Yard project was completed in November 2020 by CBM Construction and KPP architects.[12] The oldest buildings on the site, dating to 1829, were restored[12] and five-thousand square feet of green space was created.[12]

Since 2022 the mills have served as the new filming location for series 8 onwards of The Great British Sewing Bee.[14][15]

Archive

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The archive is housed in a 3,000 sq ft old warping shed; as of 2017, it is currently being catalogued, preserved and developed.[11] As of 2020, the archive is open to members of the public one day a week.[1] The business records provide information about who worked at the mill and their occupations.[1] The archive was awarded Archive Community Accreditation by West Yorkshire Archive Service in January 2021.[4] A highlight is the collection of Guard books: reference books detailing cloth production from 1829 till 2008 by year and season, with order references.[16]

A research and exhibition project in 2018, on the role of the mill and workers in World War One entitled 'Threads of War', was awarded £10,000 from the National Heritage Lottery Fund as well as attracting researchers from other local archives and reaching out to local primary schools.[16][17]

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In addition to artist studios and artist residency spaces, there are several exhibition venues at the Mills.[5] Exhibitions of work for sale in the gallery and shop space last around six weeks.[18] There is an exhibition of art students' work yearly.[5] The gallery is part of the national "Own Art" scheme.[19] It is also a member of the "Donut Project", aimed at encouraging culture in Leeds' suburbs.[5] There are plans for an arts festival of Leeds' artists and a sculpture trail in 2023 as part of a city-wide celebration of culture.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "The remarkable family story behind this landmark Yorkshire mill that is still weaving a yarn". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  2. ^ a b "History - Sunny Bank Mills | Art Gallery & Business Space in Leeds". Sunny Bank Mills. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Commercial Romance". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. Saturday 13 November 1943 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ a b "Archive Community Accreditation". Sunny Bank Mills. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e "How lockdown and a collapsed capital of cultural bid is not stopping local artists celebrating city's creativity". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Obituary of Joseph Ross, cloth manufacturer". Leeds Mercury. Saturday 13 April 1839 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "Obituary of Jonathan Marshall, cloth manufacturer". Leeds Mercury. Saturday 24 February 1844 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ "Farsley". Bradford Observer. Thursday 25 August 1842 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ "Local and District News". Huddersfield Chronicle. Monday 21 November 1881 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^ a b c "Death of Mr E. Woodhouse". Leeds Mercury. Tuesday 20 November 1923 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ a b c "'˜Significant' textile collection secured for the future". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d e "£2m Weavers' Yard project part of regeneration of Sunny Bank Mills". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Mill complex set to be 'heartbeat' of the area". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  14. ^ Nisbet, Megan (11 May 2022). "BBC's Sewing Bee series has changed locations for season 8". YorkshireLive.
  15. ^ Graham, Debbie. "Where is The Great British Sewing Bee filmed?". www.countryfile.com.
  16. ^ a b "'Threads of War: The Story of First World War Khaki' project at Sunny Bank Mills receives National Lottery Funding". Bdaily Business News. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  17. ^ "Inspired by Archives". Catablogue. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  18. ^ "Sunny Bank Mills - Attraction - Pudsey - West Yorkshire | Welcome to Yorkshire". www.yorkshire.com. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  19. ^ "Sunny Bank Mills". Own Art. Retrieved 13 February 2022.

53°48′50″N 1°40′12″W / 53.814°N 1.670°W / 53.814; -1.670

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