Description and History of Site:-
Currently (2020) home of the Bancroft Mill Engine Museum.

Former 1920's Cotton weaving shed contained 1250 looms, weaving 200,000 yards (182,880m) of plain cloth per week. The thirteenth and final mill to be built in Barnoldswick, remaining steam powered until closure in December 1978. Along with powering the looms, the mill engine powered a dynamo, later an alternator, providing electric lighting for the mill.
Bancroft mill was the very last shed to weave in Barnoldswick and the only one of thirteen to remain steam powered.
The surviving buildings are the engine house, complete with regularly steamed original engine built in nearby Nelson, a 1920 William Roberts twin cylinder horizontal cross-compound, condensing 650 i.h.p. (see LAN00014).
Also boiler house and chimney and the former garage which now houses the 1901 Smith Bros. & Eastwood engine (see WYK01100, WYK01098), twin cylinder compounded tandem, condensing, 300 i.h.p, removed for conservation from Cross Lane Mill, Low Bradley, also regularly run in steam. (see NYK01646)
The original weaving shed was demolished in 1979 and modern housing stands in its place. Before any further demolition could take place, local people formed a Trust to conserve the engine and Its house, along with boiler and chimney. Brass-work had already been removed by the scrapman from the engine prior to the intended removal and scrapping of the engine itself. A concerned local resident witnessed the removal and bought back the brass work, later presenting it back to the newly created museum for the refitting back on the engine.
Both of the engines viewable on site would have been scrapped without the vision of local residents and enthusiasts with the intention of preserving some of the engines which powered the textile industry, once so dominant in northern England and involving most families in the region in some way or another.
The steaming dates for both engines can be viewed on the Bancroft web site; http://www.bancroftmill.org.uk/. The full history of this site can be explored on http://www.bancroftmill.org.uk/

Further Reading and References:-
http://www.bancroftmill.org.uk/

Nevell, Michael. 'A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of Lancashire'. Association for Industrial Archaeology, 2007. ISBN: 978 0 9528930 9 7

Help us improve this entry

The compilers welcome corrections or additional information on all sites.
Any information provided will be verified before appearing on the web site.

Email comments

Key Words :- textile cotton weaving mill steam

Viewing the Site :- Public Access on most Saturdays (non-steaming day), Selected Sundays for steaming events (see web site).

Address :- Gillians Lane, Barnoldswick, Lancashire, BB18 5QR
Grid Ref :- SD 87493 46110
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.910989 , Long -2.191877
Local Authority :- Pendle Borough Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Site extant - Protected status unknown
Site Condition :- Site conserved
Site Dates :- 1920 -
Record Date :- 24 April 2018

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Andrew Garford