The Old Clog Mill, January 2012

[Wakey Lad]

The history of this mill appears to have been a very turbulent one, built in the 1880s, the mill suffered two devastating fires, the first in 1901 and the second in 1990. The first fire was the most devastating, putting 50 people out of work and causing £4000 work of damage.

Clogs were not made on this site until 1885, previous to this the company made a range of domestic utensils such as rolling pins, potato mashers and a range of components for local industry. These took the form of chair legs, toggles for rope makers and turned parts for loom makers. Timber was sourced locally at the start, but as the business moved into turning just about everything from toys to brush heads, beech logs were sourced from further afield.

The decision was taken to stop supplying half turned blocks to local clog makers, and to finish the sole completely by hand on the factory floor. Hand finishing was done using a stock knife, the user of the tool referred to as a “clogger” it was and remains a highly skilled job.

By the 1920s the business, which was concentrated at this mill site had acquired three sites in Ireland where part finished blocks were sent for finishing. The company would again restructure under new ownership in 1972.

By then times had changed, clogs were no longer worn by the general public, however, there was still a big market in heavy industries. Steel workers, dock workers, farmers, miners still wore clogs. But with the closure of much of the local heavy industry during the following years the company was forced to open the mill to mass tourism.

This took the form of factory shopping, an idea adopted by many foot ware manufactures, but what would happen here was to become truly unique. Visitors to the mill could watch the production process, visit the factory shop, even eat in the restaurant. This vision and drive ensured the survival of the company.

The ability to change with the times soon faded, the restaurant closed, the building fell into a poor state. It would seem that within a very short space of time this whole industry collapsed, and with it the entire clog market. With the loss of the mining and steel industries, the mill was purchased by a group of local people, the majority of the capital was raised by a local businessman. Between 1987 and 1990 visitors to the mill increased significantly. This was brought to an abrupt halt with the 1990 fire.

Rebuilding work was undertaken, the upper floors removed, and the building was for a time given a new lease of life. What followed was a series of legal battles between the owners and the local authorities regarding access and retail at the mill. In 1996 the mill was reopened by no other than Coronation Streets Sarah Lancashire (Raquel). The business would not reach the heights it had in previous years, Meadowhall and The White Rose Centre were providing the public with new interesting places to shop and spend there time.

The plan was to create the craft/retail environment, this took the form of merging existing attractions with a children’s play area, garden centre and miniature railway. Throughout all this change, one thing remained on the site - Clog making. This would eventually come to an end when the entire site was forced into closure, ending over 100 years of clog making.

As for the future? Well planning permission is being sought to convert the mill into apartments, but for now it remains derelict, at the mercy of the elements, vandals and of course metal thieves.















































I’m outta here!
Thanks for looking

[mr beardy]

sweeeet mate

[simonix]

Amazing place, that engine is worth a fortune!

[KingElvis]

Nice work mate, I enjoyed it too.

[Wakey Lad]

Nice work mate, I enjoyed it too.

Cheers fella, feeling bad that its been sealed after being lifted by secca though

[Krypton]

Thats awesome

[Clough]

We were admiring the fresh screws this morning! Looks mint, fantastic photos. This was the start to a wonderful 7 sites, 7 fails day lol!

[MJS]

Number one of seven fails!!! Glad you got in, nice picces

[KingElvis]

What were the other six?

[Wakey Lad]

Number one of seven fails!!! Glad you got in, nice picces

Cheers man, was looking forward to meeting you guys here today