A ribbed, lead-covered dome tops the round chimney tower of the former Bliss Tweed Mill at Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, UK. The mill, built in country mansion style in 1872, used wool from Cotswold and Shetland sheep to make fine khaki cloth for WW1 British Army uniforms. It closed in 1980, but now houses luxury apartments.
Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, UK: the date 1872 on this circular, dome-topped tower records the year when Bliss Mill was built for Victorian textiles entrepreneur William Bliss, and when it began to produce fine quality tweed cloth spun and woven from the wool sheared from Cotswold and Shetland sheep. The distinctive ribbed dome, sheathed in lead, supports an iconic Tuscan-style chimney that used to vent smoke from the furnace powering the mill’s steam-driven machinery. The chimney, rising to m (165 ft), is a well-known Cotswolds landmark. The 5-storey spinning mill served by the chimney was designed in the style of a country mansion by Lancashire architect George Woodhouse (1829-1883). The building is faced in Cotswold limestone and features pairs of round-arched windows and square corner towers topped by stone urns. Inside, cast iron columns and transverse beams support brick vaulting. The spun wool was woven into cloth in a lower, multi-gabled building beside the spinning mill. High quality tweed cloth was much in demand in the late-Victorian and Edwardian eras and at one time, the mill employed up to 700 spinners, weavers and other workers. They went on strike over trade union rights just before the 1914-18 First World War, but the business then thrived in wartime thanks to large orders for khaki cloth for British Army uniforms. Bliss Mill closed in 1980, but was later converted into luxury apartments. Its residents can now enjoy landscaped gardens with a small lake, as well as amenities such as indoor parking, a heated swimming pool, tennis and squash courts and a gymnasium.
Size: 2592px × 3872px
Location: Bliss Tweed Mill, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, UK.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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