Conservation of Textile Mills and Weaving Sheds
Textile mills are a prominent feature of our landscape. Many of these mills also have distinctive north-light sheds, where rows of cotton weaving looms were housed.
Recognising that mills are being lost across the country, often with no permanent record of their existence, Historic England commissioned a number of studies. The studies show that, with imagination, textile mills and their weaving sheds can be brought back into viable new uses. These uses provide new and interesting places for people to live, work and visit, whilst retaining their historic character and key features. In Pendle, the Northlight mixed use development is a good example.
Historic information on the mills in Pendle is in the following documents:
- Pendle Textile Mills Study
- Lancashire Textile Mills Survey
- Northern Lights Pennine Lancashire Weaving Shed Study
Design Code
Recognising the value of textile mills to local communities across the north and their significant potential for supporting future growth, Historic England funded the development of a design code for weaving mills in Pendle.
Consultants Donald Insall Associates were appointed to prepare a design code that would highlight best practice in the refurbishment and re-use of former textile mills and weaving sheds. Through a combination of public events and online consultation they sought to capture opinions on why Pendle’s historic textile mills are so special and how they could be reused.
Presented in an innovative interactive digital format, the Pendle Weaving Mills Design Code is the first of its kind. It explores how coding can help to support the sustainable reuse of a particular building type, using a model that can be adapted for use across the north of England and beyond.