Historic photos showcase life at former textile mill in Leeds

Showing machinery, staff and the owners through the generations at what was once the world's biggest woollen mill, the photos have been revealed as the attraction launches an offer giving Armley residents the chance to explore the mill for just £1.

From today, anyone with an LS12 postcode can visit for the cut-price entry fee to find out more about the site - once the beating heart of the city's textile trade.

Visitors can also take the opportunity to see the museum’s current Leeds to Innovation exhibition, which looks back at 300 years of Leeds inventors and their creations from lighthouses to board games and miniature cars.

Originally a fulling mill from at least the early 1500s, the site was bought in the late 1700s by Colonel Thomas Lloyd, a Leeds cloth merchant who expanded operations dramatically, so much so that Armley was soon home to the world's largest woollen mill.

The original buildings later burnt down, but were rebuilt in 1805 by noted industrialist Benjamin Gott, the owner of several mills in the area.

Although production ended in 1969, the site reopened as Leeds Industrial Museum in 1982 and today showcases an array of vintage machinery including traditional looms and other textile equipment, some of which is still operational.

John McGoldrick, Leeds Museums and Galleries’ curator of industrial history, said: “Leeds Industrial Museum has played a huge part in establishing Leeds as a global industrial power and a leader in production and innovation.

"But it’s also been part of the Armley community for more than 300 years and has grown, developed and changed alongside the local area, developing a really strong connection with the people who live here that still exists today.

“We’re really pleased and proud to be giving those people living in Armley a chance to find out more about a place that’s such a key part of their local heritage.”

Entry for a pound for those with an LS12 postcode is per person and available with proof of address such as a recent utility bill, passport or driver’s licence.

For more information visit: https://museumsandgalleries.leeds.gov.uk/leeds-industrial-museum/