Time present and time past … on the tower supporting the soaring chimney of the former Bliss Tweed Mill at Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, UK, a round clock face surmounts the date ‘ 1872’, the year in which the mill was built and began production of fine quality tweed cloth spun and woven from Cotswold and Shetland wool. In the 1914-18 First World War, it made khaki cloth for British soldiers’ uniforms.
Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, UK: the round tower below the soaring chimney of the former Bliss Tweed Mill features a circular clock face and the date ‘ 1872’ - the year in which the mill just built for Victorian textiles entrepreneur William Bliss began production of its top quality cloth. Although the mill closed in 1980 and has now been converted into luxury apartments, the impressive building on the outskirts of Chipping Norton is a monument both to Britain’s proud industrial heritage and to the success of the Cotswold wool trade. It spun and wove wool from Cotswold and Shetland sheep to make the tweed, which was in great demand in late Victorian and Edwardian Britain. During the 1914-19 First World War, it also produced much of the cloth needed for khaki British Army uniforms. The steam-powered spinning mill was designed by Lancashire architect George Woodhouse. His plans reflected the design of English country mansions, with the 5-storey spinning mill faced in Cotswold limestone, pierced by pairs of round arched windows and embellished with square corner towers topped by balustrades and stone urns. The clock tower is capped by a graceful lead-covered dome, which in turn supports the chimney. The wool spun inside the brick-vaulted mill was woven into cloth in a lower, multi-gabled building nearby. The mill once employed up to 700 spinners, weavers and other workers. They went on strike over trade union rights in 1913, but the business then thrived thanks to large wartime orders to supply the British Army. Bliss Mill’s current residents now enjoy the use of 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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