Wkye beck mills - White Bridge Mill & the first powered loom

[grumpytramp]

I am still intrigued by the history associated with Foundary Mill, the lades from the Wyke Beck and John Smeaton's connections (see http://www.secretleeds.com/forum/Messag ... Message=50 )I noticed the mill and mill dam complex on Wyke Beck at White Bridge Mill (between York Road and Selby Road). I was intrigued by the description on the 1851 OS 1:10,560 sheet of White Bridge Mill Corn Mill and Factory Rooting around on google I found this discription: Quote: The prospect on emerging from the Tunnel is very fine, embracing the beautiful valley of the Aire, the waving woods of Temple Newsam, and the pleasing plantations of Killingbeck. The embankment upon which the Rail-Road is carried from the mouth of the Tunnel across the valley to the opposite hill of Halton, is a very stupendous work, and will excite the admiration of the traveller. The arch upon which it crosses the road to Ferrybridge, is an excellent specimen of workmanship, and the immense buttresses and stonework which support the embankment, constitute an astonishing display of human industry and art.A little to the right of the road towards the village of Halton stands a small manufactory, concerning which the following curious and interesting particulars are given by the Commercial Annalist —Parliament granted £5,000 to Messrs. James Berkenhout and Thomas Clarke, of Halton, near Leeds, on condition that they should make known to the public their newly-discovered method of dying linen and cotton cloth, in scarlet, crimson, and other colours variegated; but though the secret was attempted to be divulged, no hues could ever be produced like the first specimens, which in all probability were the effect of accident rather than skill, as had been the case eight years before at Barnard-Castle, where a dyer's boiling kettles were in 1771 suddenly inundated by the overflowing of the Tees, which struck such a beautiful shade upon the cloth then in process, that it sold in London at a greatly advanced price, and orders poured in for more of the same hue, which the poor dyer could never again produce, the Genius of the river not deigning to pay him another visit. Mr. Berkenhout was the descendant of a Dutch merchant who settled at Leeds. A descendant of his partner, Mr. Peter Clarke, lately occupied the White-Bridge Mill, at Halton, where he manufactured bunting for ships' colours, and where the first power loom in England , was at work long before the public became acquainted with the steam power-looms of the present day. from The tourist's companion, or, The history of the scenes and places on the route by the rail-road and steam-packet from Leeds and Selby to Hull- Edward Parsons, Published by Whittaker, 1835This is a new one for me!Can this be correct, that there was a powered loom on the Wyke Beck before Edmund Cartwright patented loom of 1785?

[grumpytramp]

The site is described in the 1852 OS 6" sheet as both factory and mill "White Bridge Mill (Corn Mill & Factory) here:

http://maps.nls.uk/view/102344959

It clearly made good use of the main stream of Wyke Beck including a weir on the north side of the old Leeds - Tadcaster road forming a large pond (later called Killingbeck Pond), a mill pond which appears to be fed by a leat from the head of the pond and a further pond fed directly from the weir on the pond

White Bridge Mill 1852.jpg (117.12 KiB) Viewed 1898 times

It is still described as a Mill in the 1894 OS 6" sheet:

http://maps.nls.uk/view/100947086

Here the mill ponds have been rationalised into a single pond

White Bridge Mill 1894.jpg (93.01 KiB) Viewed 1898 times

However by the time you reach the 1909 OS 6" sheet, no reference is made to the mill and the mill ponds are described as a reservoir. Killingbeck Pond by now appears to be redundant and has began to silt up (marsh symbols)

White Bridge Mill 1909.jpg (81.7 KiB) Viewed 1898 times

I understand that at sometime in the late nineteenth century, that the water wheel at the mill was converted and used to pump water from the mill pond ("reservoir") to Halton for public water supply presumably to the Temple Newsam Water Works (to the immediate east on the junction of Pinfold Lane and Selbly Lane.