Mills get weaving on open days for heritage celebration

The mills will open on Friday and Saturday as part of English Heritage National Open Days from 10am-4pm with guided tours by owners John and William Gaunt at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. A regionally important cloth archive will also be open.

This is the first time the mills have been open to the public, and people are being invited to bring their own stories and old photos to the Open Days.

The 1912 Mill, part of Sunny Bank Mills has been transformed into a 21st century business centre.

Having taken the decision to stop textile production in 2008, joint directors William and John Gaunt are now restoring the mills to their former commercial glory.

The mills, in Town Street in Farsley, are being renovated to provide quality space for small and medium-sized businesses.

John Gaunt, co-director of Edwin Woodhouse Ltd, the owners of Sunny Bank Mills, said: “We are also looking at imaginative uses for other parts of the Sunny Bank Mills site, including a 130-cover restaurant with a terrace fronting Town Street, the main street in Farsley.

“This is a labour of love and we are very conscious of the need to get it right, not just for us, but also for Farsley.”