New plans to save and preserve Bolton's historic mills

Once at the heart of the world's cotton industry, Bolton's mills remain some of the town's most recognisable landmarks.

While many have been transformed for new uses in recent decades, a number still stand empty, serving as reminders of the borough's industrial past.

Swan Mills (Image: Martini)

Now a plan has been drawn up to bring them back into use.

The plan said: "Bolton’s historic mills are a legacy of the borough’s industrial heritage of textile production, bleachworks and related industrial uses.

"Altogether, they comprise over 1.4m square metres of floorspace, much of which is on large floorplates and accommodates a wide variety of uses including dwellings. While there are successful examples of reuse and conversion, the market has often struggled to find viable uses for these distinctive buildings."

William Holdsworth mill

A new blueprint for the borough states it is time to"put Bolton's heritage back to work," and begin reusing these historic buildings for new purposes.

The plan said: "Historic mills and older industrial premises are a defining element of Bolton's townscape and a significant reuse opportunity, primarily for employment uses with supporting residential and mixed uses."

This will see "the great mills that built the town given new life as homes and workspaces."

The 2007 mill action framework identified 108 mills and mill complexes across the borough, though only 17 of these are designated heritage assets.

INDUSTRIAL MIGHT Swan Lane Mill

These include Swan Mills, located on Higher Swan Lane - once one of the largest spinning mill complexes in the world, and Eagley Mills, which, built in the 1780s, was originally a water-powered textile mill.

Eagley Mills was a mill complex comprised of three separate buildings - Bridge Mill, Brook Mill, and Valley Mill.

It was closed in 1972 - an action that saw around 600 people lose their jobs.

Both Swan and Eagley mills are examples of successful regeneration schemes, with Swan Mills converted into apartments and Eagley Mills into business use.