Percy Pollard, mill Engineer, born 12/5/1908, and the fixed water level indicator between the two glass water gauges, the pipes and valves on the left werefor the water injector that put water into the boiler under pressure.
Percy Pollard and his son Derek inside the Lancashire Boiler; they are sitting on the two tubes. The bioler had to be descaled and inspected every year.
This turbine, situated near Sandy Gate, generated electricty using the water from the reservoir on Wadsworth Moor. The cables near the generator would have gone up to the mill.
This mains electric motor would drive the mill. When the reservoir was full and over-flowed the water would drive the turbine near Sandy Gate. The steam engine would be disconnected but the steam boiler would still be used for washing wool.
The belt drive from the first motion shaft tothe second motion shaft. The wooden sliding door was the entrance to the battery room which was full of lead acid batteries to power the 110 volt lighting in the mill as there was no mains electricty.
This Thorneycroft Wagon would pick up raw wool from the conditioning house at Bradford, and then deliver the washed, carded and combed wool "Tops" to customers. The wagon also brought coal from Sharleston Colliery. The wagon driver was John Birket.
The Boiler House. A lot of coal was stored outside, it was brought from Sharlston Colliery near Wakefield . The man in the picture was the boiler fireman.
The sketch and description were originally published in The Halifax Courier in 1912-1913.
Old Town is the ancient village on Wadsworth hillside above Hebden Bridge. The hall is at the south west corner of the village green and at the extreme…
Mr Hope was the Head Master. Derek was naturally left handed but was made to write with his right hand, so school days were not particularly happy. He can be seen here on the back row 2nd from left. Middle row from left: Mabel Pollard, Sheila…
Many changes have transformed the scene at Old Town, viewed here in the early years of the last century. The big mill an the right is Acre Mill, which was a weaving mill, later owned by Cape Asbestos; the smaller mill on the left of it was the…