The Mills Are Alive

We head for Broadbottom this month to enjoy lots of natural beauty in among the remnants of dark satanic mills, writes HOWARD BRADBURY

- Howard Bradbury

TODAY, it is a peaceful and picturesque riverside walk. But in the early 19th century, this stroll along the Etherow at Broadbottom would have taken us through vast mill complexes where over 1,200 people worked.

Broadbottom Mills, later known as Broad Mills, sprang up between 1802 and 1824, using the river to power the cotton spinning and weaving processes. But by the 1920s, depression signalled the last chapter for this industrial powerhouse. A fire in 1949 caused significant damage, and demolition ensued.

In the 1980s, Tameside Council bought the old mill site and helped nature reclaim it for the enjoyment of the people. Thankfully not all of that industrial infrastructure was removed. You will, for instance, see the remnants of the mill’s wheel chamber, where water was channelled in to turn a huge waterwheel.

Later on in the walk, you will see more industrial relics - the stone dye vats used in the Hodge print works which, dating back to the late 18th century, was one of the earliest known textile works in this area.

Leaving the river behind, the walk goes through woodland and fields where the going is occasionally steep and can sometimes be very muddy indeed. Choose a crisp frosty day, when the going is a little firmer.

1 THE WALK