Torr Vale Mill.

Torr Vale Mill was built in the 1790s for water-powered cotton spinning and weaving, and rebuilt to use a combination of water and steam power in the 1860s.

The building varies from single storey to five storeys in height. The complex was originally water-powered with two large water wheels in the basement of one of the three multi-storeyed mills. In the 1860s, when the mill was expanded and partly rebuilt, a large Lancashire steam boiler was installed, which was run in conjunction with the water-powered system. In the 1950s gas and electricity became the sources of heat, steam and power.

For 200 years Torr Vale mill has produced cotton products and has possibly the longest chronology of continuous cotton manufacturing in England.

In 2000 Torr Vale Mill was depicted on Royal Mail postage stamps to commemorate the the Millennium Walkway in the Torrs Gorge, sadly though in 2001 a fire destroyed one of the buildings of the mill and has since been demolished due to its dangerous condition.

Torr Vale is on the Buildings At Risk register and is currently a listed building.

Since 1998 various proposals have been submitted to transform the mill, including a conversion into apartments, to date though nothing has happened and the mill still sits derelict and falling to pieces.

From outside Torr Vale is very imposing and is also very impressive to look at, inside how ever is another story, the original wooden floors are still in place which is rare for a mill of such age, the majority of the floors are completely empty with only the basement being of any real interest and still having the old looms still in situ, still with there last runs on them.

Having seen this place so many times it has always made me curious as to what it was like inside, having ignored it for so long though it was finally time we explored the place.

So one cold December morning we headed over to New Mills to have a look, I have to say though I prefer Torr Vale more from the outside, inside I found it a big let down on all levels.

The highlight was obviously the machinery still in situ but the condition of it was poor to say the least, it was worth seeing on the grounds of its history and external beauty but apart from that it was a big disappointment.