Industrial History Online
Castle Mills (Wilson's)
Key Words :- mill
Address :- Aynam Road, Kendal, Cumbria
Grid Ref :- SD 5179 9251
Co-ordinates :- Lat 54.325873 , Long -2.742763
Local Authority :- Westmorland and Furness Council
Pre 1974 County :- Westmorland
Site Status :- Site extant - No Protection
Site Dates :- 1806 -
Description and History of Site :-
Marshall & Davies-Shiel (1969): 'The Castle mills are on or near the oldest mill site in the town. The present structure was built in 1806; after 1853 it was part of an undertaking manufacturing rugs, tweeds and collar checks (J J & W Wilson).'
Bennett (1993): 'The only remaining working textile mill, the site of the water-powered Castle Mills. The main building is in crude 18th-century classical style. Now occupied by Goodacre Carpets. Factory tours are available when the whole process from spinning to weaving and finishing may be seen.'
Industrial History of Cumbria online guide: 'New woollen mill built 30/40 yards upstream (on leat from river) of old corn mill and fulling mill site in 1805/6 by William Braithwaite and Isaac Wilson, shearman-dyers of Stramongate. Became J J & W Wilson in 1840. Steam power introduced 1850. Produced travelling rugs, tweeds, linings, collar checks and blankets using their own dye houses, drying rooms where tenters could be run in on tramways, sizing rooms, brimstone bleaching rooms, hot and cold presses, and baling machines. Extended after 1854 with a new 30hp water wheel and a 30hp beam engine (1855), and again in 1872. Spinning and weaving sheds of 2,350 square yards. 500 people employed. Turbines introduced 1899. Company in liquidation 1933 - bought by Goodacres for carpet production.'
Further Reading and References :-
Marshall, J D & Davies-Shiel, Michael. 'The Industrial Archaeology of the Lake Counties'. 1969
Bennett, John and Jan. 'A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of Cumbria'. Association for Industrial Archaeology, 1993
https://www.cumbria-industries.org.uk/woollen-mills/
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Grid Ref :- SD 5179 9251
Co-ordinates :- Lat 54.325873 , Long -2.742763
Local Authority :- Westmorland and Furness Council
Pre 1974 County :- Westmorland
Site Status :- Site extant - No Protection
Site Dates :- 1806 -
Marshall & Davies-Shiel (1969): 'The Castle mills are on or near the oldest mill site in the town. The present structure was built in 1806; after 1853 it was part of an undertaking manufacturing rugs, tweeds and collar checks (J J & W Wilson).'
Bennett (1993): 'The only remaining working textile mill, the site of the water-powered Castle Mills. The main building is in crude 18th-century classical style. Now occupied by Goodacre Carpets. Factory tours are available when the whole process from spinning to weaving and finishing may be seen.'
Industrial History of Cumbria online guide: 'New woollen mill built 30/40 yards upstream (on leat from river) of old corn mill and fulling mill site in 1805/6 by William Braithwaite and Isaac Wilson, shearman-dyers of Stramongate. Became J J & W Wilson in 1840. Steam power introduced 1850. Produced travelling rugs, tweeds, linings, collar checks and blankets using their own dye houses, drying rooms where tenters could be run in on tramways, sizing rooms, brimstone bleaching rooms, hot and cold presses, and baling machines. Extended after 1854 with a new 30hp water wheel and a 30hp beam engine (1855), and again in 1872. Spinning and weaving sheds of 2,350 square yards. 500 people employed. Turbines introduced 1899. Company in liquidation 1933 - bought by Goodacres for carpet production.'
Marshall, J D & Davies-Shiel, Michael. 'The Industrial Archaeology of the Lake Counties'. 1969
Bennett, John and Jan. 'A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of Cumbria'. Association for Industrial Archaeology, 1993
https://www.cumbria-industries.org.uk/woollen-mills/
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Contributor :- Robert Mason - 11 October 2023
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Robert Mason
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Robert Mason