Description and History of Site:-
Surveyed for RCHME project. See C. Giles and I. H. Goodall, Yorkshire Textile Mills, 1770-1930 (1992), p. 200 and fig 215 While Low Mill was under construction, the lord of Addingham, Richard Smith, evicted the miller from the manorial corn-mill further upstream on the Wharfe, and leased the building to two cotton-manufacturers, Henry Lister and John Cockshott, who needed supplies of weft yarn. Soon afterwards Smith was involved in the construction of High Mill, in the style of Arkwright, on a site adjacent to the old corn-mill. It seems that initially High Mill spun cotton, but quickly switched to worsteds. Richard Hargreaves, a cotton manufacturer, insured the new mill in 1787, though by 1789, perhaps even sooner, it had become a worsted factory. The worsted business was owned by a consortium which included Richard Smith and his son; members of the Quaker Birkbeck family of Settle, bankers and woollen manufacturers; two Lancaster merchants; and Robert Hargreaves, whose mechanical skills were credited with significantly adapting roller-spinning to worsteds. On the strength of this, Hargreaves convinced the Birkbecks to back a much larger worsted factory in Linton, for which builders were invited to tender perhaps as early as April 1787. High Mill seems to have been originally four storeys, six bays, and incorporated wheelhouse of earlier corn mill. Converted to silk-spinning by 1869. Extended by four bays mid to late 19th c. Part demolished, now flats.

Further Reading and References:-
C. Aspin, The Water Spinners (2003), 447-8, 462 etc.
C. Giles and I. H. Goodall, Yorkshire Textile Mills, 1770-1930 (1992);
G Ingle, Yorkshire Dales Textile Mills, 16, 89-104-5;
W. Keighley, Keighley Past and Present, 110.
Thanks to George Ingle for additional information.

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Key Words :- corn cotton worsted silk

Address :- High Mill Lane, Addingham, West Yorkshire, LS29 0RD
Grid Ref :- SE 08210 50210
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.947929 , Long -1.876399
Local Authority :- City of Bradford
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Listed - Grade II
Historic England List No - 1314255,
Site Condition :- Site redeveloped to residential housing
Record Date :- 9 January 2015

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