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Mill site study
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Objectives
- To use primary sources (texts, maps and
photographs) to learn about the historical development of a site.
- To learn about a mill site involved
in dyeing and finishing cloth.
- To understand the reasons for the original
geographical location of the mill, the water and fuel supplies
and transport routes for trade.
- To look at the impact on the mill of
developments and changes over time.
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Curriculum links
English National Curriculum:
Geography: 1, 2, 3, 4
History: 2, 4, 5, 6 and 11 (Victorian Britain and Britain since 1930)
Literacy: (LH to add appropriate info)
| Gateway story
All the images shown relate to the story of 'Ripley & Son',
a West Yorkshire based company that produced dyes and dyed fabric
in the 19th and 20th centuries. The story behind these images provides
the focus for the classroom-based activity.
Gateway elements
This gateway consists of:
- Village lane
- BDA van
- Site pictures.
Village lane: Brighouse Wood Lane features in a newspaper
article that the children will read, and they will also locate it
on the map. It would be part of some of the workers' route to work
at Ripleys.
BDA van: The Bradford Dyers Association no longer exists,
but in the 19th and early 20th centuries was a very important link
between the dyeing companies. The BDA features again in the activity.
Site pictures: These photographs were taken many years apart.
The oldest one is from the beginning of the 20th century, and the
recent one is from the second half of the 20th century. The site
closed finally in the late 1970s.
Gateway discussion
Whilst looking at the gateway, ask the children some of the following
questions:
- What do you think is the story that links
all the pictures?
- The new and old photographs show the
same place. What might the place be? What might people do there?
- What does BDA stand for?
- What might the BDA van be used for?
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Approximate time required:
1 hour
Resources needed
A selection of activity sheets and maps is required
for this activity. Prior to the lesson, these should be printed out and
photocopied in the quantities indicated. Click on the links to view these
resources.
Suggested organisation
The children work in small groups on one of
eight possible tasks, followed by presentations to the rest of the class.
The teacher can select any combination of tasks, the most comprehensive
picture being obtained by completing all eight.
The tasks have been devised to offer a differentiated
approach. This is detailed in the table below, along with the resource
requirements for each task. Children may have access to a wider range
of resources, as they may be interested in other aspects of the study.
| Task |
Level of difficulty
(colour coded) |
Resources required (all tasks require resources
A, B, C, I) |
| 1 |
hard |
F |
| 2 |
moderate |
E |
| 3 |
hard |
- |
| 4 |
moderate |
- |
| 5 |
moderate |
- |
| 6 |
simple |
D |
| 7 |
simple |
D |
| 8 |
moderate |
D, G, H |
Carrying out
the activity
The class are given resources A, B and C. Resource
A is a transcript of a newspaper article from 1976, which gives an anecdotal
history to the dyeworks, prior to its demolition. Resource B is a glossary,
which may help children with some of the more difficult language used
in the article. Resource C is a modern map, for children to locate Brookfoot
in West Yorkshire where the dyeworks was, until the mill was demolished
shortly after the news item was written.
Before reading the news article, the teacher
can tell children that the city of Bradford has been, and still is, a
major producer of woollen textiles and yarns, making use of:
- fleeces of sheep from the Pennine Hills (providing
long, strong wool)
- coal from local coal producing towns and
villages
- soft water of local rivers and streams.
The main business of Brookfoot Mill was dyeing
and finishing the fabrics brought to it, which in the early days were
mostly woollen fabrics woven in Bradford.
The class read the article together, perhaps with volunteer readers, or
by the teacher. The glossary is consulted to discuss words children do
not understand. This can also be referred to during the group tasks.
The teacher discusses the general tone of the
news article, by raising some of the following questions:
What type of article is this? (fact, fiction,
anecdotal, etc.)
How does the person feel about the closing of the dyeworks?
Where might he/she have got the information? (books, memories, local people)
The children are asked to locate Brookfoot on
the map (C). They could also look at a map of the UK to locate Brookfoot
in relation to where they live.
It is explained to the children that they are
now going to use primary sources to find out about the choice of the site
for this mill in West Yorkshire and the developments to the site over
150 years. The aim is to produce a comprehensive display of maps, diagrams
and information telling the history, the reasons for location and development
of the Brookfoot site.
Each group then carries out its task (see Group
task sheets ).
Sample responses to task 1 are provided below:
| 1. |
The water supply for the mill came from
the Shibden and Walterclough Valleys in the Pennine Hills. The water
reached the mill through the Red Beck and the Mill Pond. |
| 2. |
Two places where the natural watercourses
have been changed are the Mill Pond and the Calder & Hebble Navigation
Canal. They were changed to store water for the mill and to provide
an alternative to the rocky river channel so that boats could travel
along safely. |
| 3. |
Red Beck flows past Slead Syke Mill and
Brookfoot Mill dyeworks. They were built there because they needed
the water supply for the work in the mills. |
| 4. |
Water was gathered in the Mill Pond to
store it for use in the Brookfoot Mill to drive a large water wheel. |
| 5. |
Water was used in the mill to:
- drive the water
wheel (water turned the wheel by paddles as it flowed through)
- make steam
for the steam engines (hot water produces steam)
- drive 6 boilers
and 2 turbines which produced electricity
- carry coal
and goods on barges on the canal (water transport)
- provide dyebaths
for dyeing woollen cloth and to rinse the fabric clean (to dye
fabric it needs to be dipped in baths of coloured water
and then the extra dye needs to be rinsed off the cloth).
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| 6. |
Without its water supply, the mill could
not carry on working because water provided power and was used in
the cloth dyeing processes. |
| 7. |
Coal could be carried to the mill in barges
on the canal. Dyed cloth could be carried away from the mill in barges
along the canal. |
| 8. |
Waste water went into the river.
That is not allowed nowadays, unless the water has been treated to
remove the colour and any harmful chemicals. This has to be done by
law so that people, animals and wildlife in the surrounding countryside
are protected. |
Plenary
Each group presents their findings to the rest
of the class. They should be encouraged to discuss the reasons for the
siting of the original mill and the work carried out there.
The teacher should help the children to draw general conclusions in relation
to the changes in technology, transport and the economic conditions.
The children's work can be mounted as an interactive
display to be shared by the whole class and others.
Extensions / links
History / Geography
The activity People in Industry
provides an opportunity to study the working conditions and lives of people
who worked in another dyeworks. The companies in both activities are historically
linked.
History / Geography
Find a local factory or mill which you can visit
and carry out a study of the site, its history and the people who have
worked there as a Local History Study.
History
Follow national historical events and company
developments of a different site by doing the activity Timeline &
Discoveries
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