From The Neolithic To The Sea: A Journey From The Past To The Present
Ladygrove Mill
Statistics
Category
County
Coordinates
Grid
Condition
Age
Admission
County
Coordinates
Grid
Condition
Age
Admission
Industry
Derbyshire
53°09'45.8"N 1°34'25.9"W
SK 2859062930
Good
1785
-
Derbyshire
53°09'45.8"N 1°34'25.9"W
SK 2859062930
Good
1785
-
Map
- History
- Gallery
- Gallery
Ladygrove Mill is a small business and former flax mill located in the Sydnope valley, Two Dales, Derbyshire.
The mill was originally built alongside the Ladygrove Brook in 1785 by Abraham Flint, for spinning cotton using with 612 spindles, but only lasted till June 1802 when it was declared bankrupt.
The Mill was sold to Daniel Dakeyne who converted the mill to process flax for linen. Daniel's sons, Edward & James, built the three storey mill in 1826 and a series of three dams on the Sydnope Valley rising to 96 feet. They used a machine called the ‘Equilinium’ to prepare the flax for spinning. Across the lane is a house, once.
Various buildings used a variety of water wheels and there was a part built steam engine at the time of bankruptcy. The site also contained a mill forge and foundry. In 1830, the Dakeynes' patented their disc engine which they designed and built to utilise a 96' head of water to develop 35 horsepower. The engine was 10' diameter and weighed 7 tons. Both it and its house have long gone. The disc engine was noisy and produced a roar that led the locals to say the mill was driven by a 'romping lion'. The engine belonged to the class of engines now called a swashplate engine or nutating disc engine. By 1881 the flax mill business was over.
A Gilkes water turbine was installed in 1864 in the Bell Tower and was in use until 1974. As the water still flowed a new hydro electric turbine was installed in 2015.
Today the mill is used by various small companies and has a range of units including self storage, warehousing and offices. The original cotton mill has been incorporated in a modern warehouse building with its ground floor filled in, it is still can be seen.
The mill was originally built alongside the Ladygrove Brook in 1785 by Abraham Flint, for spinning cotton using with 612 spindles, but only lasted till June 1802 when it was declared bankrupt.
The Mill was sold to Daniel Dakeyne who converted the mill to process flax for linen. Daniel's sons, Edward & James, built the three storey mill in 1826 and a series of three dams on the Sydnope Valley rising to 96 feet. They used a machine called the ‘Equilinium’ to prepare the flax for spinning. Across the lane is a house, once.
Various buildings used a variety of water wheels and there was a part built steam engine at the time of bankruptcy. The site also contained a mill forge and foundry. In 1830, the Dakeynes' patented their disc engine which they designed and built to utilise a 96' head of water to develop 35 horsepower. The engine was 10' diameter and weighed 7 tons. Both it and its house have long gone. The disc engine was noisy and produced a roar that led the locals to say the mill was driven by a 'romping lion'. The engine belonged to the class of engines now called a swashplate engine or nutating disc engine. By 1881 the flax mill business was over.
A Gilkes water turbine was installed in 1864 in the Bell Tower and was in use until 1974. As the water still flowed a new hydro electric turbine was installed in 2015.
Today the mill is used by various small companies and has a range of units including self storage, warehousing and offices. The original cotton mill has been incorporated in a modern warehouse building with its ground floor filled in, it is still can be seen.
