The Mill

The Mill we now know as Rishworth Palace was the final one of a series of earlier mills, The previous one, built on the site of much earlier corn and fulling mills, now houses Rishworth School swimming pool.

The Rishworth Palace mill was built 1862 -65 during the time of the cotton famine during the American Civil War.  It is believed that the mill workers were kept in employment by the owner, Mr. Wheelwright, by building the new mill themselves.  The offices to the mill (Now the Gatehouse) were completed in 1867.

Water Power

By 1770 Watermills had been used to grind corn in England for almost 1600 years and textile fulling mills from 1185.  So in the last quarter of the 18th century, when developments in textile manufacture meant that the latest machines could no longer be powered by hand, it was established water technology that the builders of the mills we see to day turned to.  Its believed that around 24 mills were powered in this way along the River Ryburn and its tributaries.

Rishworth mill pond appears on an ordnance survey map in 1854.

The Water Wheel and Control Mechanisms

Rishworth Mill had what was at the time the largest water wheel in the world with a 57ft 6ins diameter and must have been a spectacular sight.  The mill was very late to change to steam power in fact it is thought that the water wheel was still in use up until 1948, supplemented by various steam engines.   This is no doubt a factor as to why the mechanism’s on the mill dam are in relatively good condition compared to other sites.

The mill dam, all its mechanisms and the Mill races all the way to the mill are Grade Ii listed.  A description of the listing can be found on the Historic England site here https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1404828