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Whatever happened to Lee Mills?
The Knitting & Crochet Guild Collection
Unit 4, Lee Mills, Scholes, Holmfirth, HD9 1RT
… between 'The Boot & Shoe' and 'The White Horse' in Scholes
It rose like Phoeknits from the ashes …
Lee Mills reborn – notice the carved stone "LEE MILLS" logo in the low stone wall (highlit) and compare with the earlier photographs below
Following the fire at Lee Mills main building in June 2002, the owners and insurers decided the building was not worth saving. Permission was eventually granted to build 19 flats on the site. Demolition was well in hand on the Guild’s Open Day on 14 May, 2004.
This is the building we proudly moved into before the fire … or rather, all that was left of it, as the contractors were working to save the carved stone "LEE MILLS" logo. For a reminder of what it looked like (LEE MILLS logo highlit), click on the picture above or go 'The Lee Mills Story' for Mary Hawkins's full account.
The arrow in the picture shows the position of Unit 4 (now out of sight behind the new front elevation)
Eventually all that was left was a wall with the carved stone plaque
"Lee Mills T S & S Ltd 1921"
The demolition squad took most of a day to take down this plaque with great care. Besides ourselves, other interested neighbours were out taking photos. Although the plaque is dated 1921, this represents a refurbishment date – the original buildings are some 200 years old, thought to have been weaving mills, and were powered by water. The plaque was re-fitted on the new low stone wall.
The entrance to the small industrial estate of which Unit 4 is a part is, of course, still between the White Horse and the Boot & Shoe public houses.
Go through the gated area, up the slope and turn with it to the right. Carry on past what used to be Gibson & Booth Accountants and keep bearing right into a large open space.
Unit 4 is on your left – park outside there … free!