Thwaite Mills in Stourton has been part of the city’s industrial landscape for more than 350 years. It started as a fulling mill in 1641 with eight fulling stocks using four waterwheels before the site was bought and rebuilt by the Aire & Calder canal company with two large waterwheels. By 1825 the mills were operated on lease by W & E Joy seed crushers and oil refiners specialising in rape oil for lubricating and lighting. Exotic woods were also crushed at Thwaite Mills and the extract was used to make colour dyes for he textile industry. In 1872 the Horn family came to operate Thwaite Mills griding flint and china stone for glazing pottery and white ground chalk used for whitewash. Thwaite Mills ended their working life with the manufacturer of putty from whiting and linseed oil having use in the reconstruction of London property after the Blitz. The weir collapsed in a flood in January 1975 and the waterwheels could no longer work. Thwaite Mills Society was formed in 1978 to restore the site by September 1989 before the Mills opened as a Leeds City Council museum in the early 1990s. The museum closed in 2024 before ownership was transferred to the Canal & River Trust. Fast forward to 2026 and the site was due to go to auction after being sold to a developer by the Canal & River Trust. These photos, a mix from Leeds Museum Service and photographic archive Leodis, which is run by Leeds Library & Information Service, chart the highs and lows of the industrial heritage gem. READ MORE: Concerns over sale of Leeds heritage site LOVE LEEDS? LOVE NOSTALGIA? Join Leeds Retro on facebook YEP RETRO NEWSLETTER: Sign up for our free monthly email digest of Leeds nostalgia
19. Thwaite Mills
Thwaite Mills Weir pictured in November 1999. | Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net Photo: Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net
20. Thwaite Mills
Thwaite House, built in 1823, stands on the foundation of an earlier building. It was originally home to the family and servants of the mill managers. It was being used as an exhibition centre when this photo was taken in November 1999. | Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net Photo: Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net
21. Thwaite Mills
The boat 'Elma B' and others at Thwaite Mills Wharf on the River Aire, looking east. Pictured circa 1950s. | Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net Photo: Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net
22. Thwaite Mills
Machinery at Thwaite Mills, including chalk crushing machinery and edge runner mill. | Leeds Museums Service Photo: Leeds Museums Service
23. Enjoyed this gallery?
Share your memories of Thwaite Mills with Andrew Hutchinson via email at: [email protected] or tweet him - @AndyHutchYPN | Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net Photo: Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net
24. Thwaite Mills
The swing bridge across the Aire and Calder Navigation at Thwaite Mills circa 1900. Several people in period dress stand on and around the bridge and a wooden crane can be seen beyond the bridge. Alongside is a pennyman's hut. A man would earn a living taking a penny from every boat he let through the bridge. | Leeds Museums Service Photo: Leeds Museums Service