5 Mills to Pateley Bridge

One of my common walks is from Dacre Banks to Pateley Bridge, following the River Nidd for much of the route. I've showcased parts of this hike in the past, but in todays blog I am going to highlight the 5 still standing mills along the route.

Their has been a mill in some form in Dacre Banks since the late 1600s. The earliest reference I have found is to a Corn Mill, but it may not be at the same location. The Weir just up stream from the mill was built in the late 1700's to channel water to power a water wheel for a flax mill. In the late 19th century, the flax mill was replaced by the saw mill - which closed down in 2017 when the owner retired and is currently for sale. The buildings have seen better days.

The second mill is in Summerbridge and is the New York Mill complex. This largely intact and repurposed mill is now a multi use industrial complex along with housing. Although the clock remains, it no longer works. This mill was built in 1825 and at one point had 2 separate water wheels powered by two separate water paths - including one aqueduct that included a long bridge over the Nidd. This mill continued in the "fabric" milling up to the 1970's.

The chimney in the first picture is the back side of the secondary picture, with the weir in front. This mill in Low Lathe is now a private residence. This mill may have been in use up to the early 1960's making rope

Although it is now hard to tell unless you look closely, this building just west of Low Lathe was Knox mill, which started out as a Flax mill and then due to inconsistent water in the small stream (beck) was converted to a saw mill, before becoming a restaurant and now multiple family housing

The last of the 5 mills to Pateley Bridge is the Glasshouses Mill. Built in the 1820 and then expanded in 1899, this substantial building is now condos. There is more surviving mill details around this mill than any of the other mills on this walk.

5 mills in 7 miles. This is a lovely walk with lots of history. To see my hike,

Check out my walk on Strava: https://strava.app.link/TRXMhnqBr2b

Dave