Barnoldswick

This morning just rained on and off all the time, one minute I’ look out the window and it was sunny next it was like a huge cloud burst – someone up in the clouds was filling the bucket and emptying it over the land.  By half one it was still more of the same. So I decided to have a run over to Barnoldswick, if the weather picked up I could have a walk on the canal at Foulridge if not I could always have a look around the shops there then go to Boundary Mill for a looksee. 

When I got to Barnoldswick it had faired up so had a look around there then saw the sign to Bancroft Mill.  I remember passing this place before and though no harm in seeing if it was having an open day.  I know it only opens occasionally as its run by volunteers.  As I got to the gates they were open and there was some bunting strung up outside.  I was lucky it was open.  As I went in the first room is a café, as I was reading the leaflets a volunteer came and said I should go in and have a look around.  It was free today as a heritage day to try and encourage people to come and support the trust (normally you have to pay to go in).  

The man was a real enthusiast and was keen to tell me all about the mill and the engines.  The mill was owned by a James Nutter it was the last steam driven weaving shed to be constructed and the last to close (no relation to the Alice Nutter of Pendle although the volunteer did say he had been told the reason Alice Nutter was convicted of being a witch was because she was a very wealthy women and owned a lot of land and property in the area.  The men didn’t like this and because she prepared pain relieving potions from herbs as a midwife they decided she was a witch and that’s why she was tried and convicted and they had got rid of a rich and powerful woman who they felt threatened by – interesting) – apparently these are the last two remaining steam engines.  The larger one from Lancashire and a smaller one which was officially running for the first time today has come from a mill in Bradley near Skipton. I have to admit it was lovely to see these magnificent machines running.  They can only run one machine at once as the boiler can only fuel / raise enough steam to keep one machine at a time going.  The first machine was running and the volunteer said if I went down to the bottom shed in the next few minutes the smaller machine would be running again. 

When you look at these and see all the brass nuts and bolts shining the green paint gleaming and the quietness and smoothness of all the pistons and wheels you appreciate how much work has gone into them. On the way back I called in to see the boiler house – this was down below ground level and was a huge fire monster.  The boilerman was busy feeding its roaring insides with pallets.  It was like feeding an elephant sugar lumps.  He said as soon as he put extra wood in the boiler the engine would kick up a gear.  It looked hot hard work and I guess back in the day when these machines ran looms it would have been a lot harder work to keep the steam up. 

When I came out as I set off back to the car the clouds rolled in and I just got back before another heavy downpour.  Time for home and tea it had been an interesting day.