Unearthing the history of Tottington Mill

Date published: 05 March 2011

The long-hidden history of Tottington Mill is about to be revealed.

Bury Council has appointed Oxford Archaeology (North West) to assess and record the site, which is located in the Kirklees Valley Local Nature Reserve.

The work has been prompted by the Environment Agency which is required by European rules to 'naturalise' watercourses. The EA is hoping to de-culvert the Kirklees Brook where it passed under the floor of Tottington Mill. However, before doing this, it needs to assess the site's archaeological interest.

A corn mill stood on the site in the 1700s but by 1796 there was a cotton mill there. The mill was acquired by Joshua Knowles in 1821, converted into a printworks and by 1841 there were 400 people employed on the site. After the railway was built, a coal siding was built to serve the mill.

The mill closed in 1928 and the buildings were demolished in the 1940s. The site is overgrown but various low walls, vats, tanks, engine beds, pits and foundations are evident.

The £9,800 investigation is to be funded jointly by the EA and Bury Council. Clearance work will be undertaken by BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) and local history groups will help with the surveying. The investigation has just started and is expected to take place over the next two months.