Ribbed, lead-covered dome tops the circular 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: a distinctive ribbed dome sheathed in lead caps a circular tower displaying the date 1872 - the year in which Bliss Mill was built, in the heart of the Cotswolds, for Victorian entrepreneur and textile manufacturer, William Bliss. A lofty Tuscan-style chimney above the dome vented smoke from the furnace that powered the mill’s steam-driven spinning and weaving machines. Wool from Cotswold and Shetland sheep was spun in this 5-storey building, and was then woven in a lower, multi-gabled structure beside it. Lancashire architect George Woodhouse (1829-1883) designed the spinning mill in the style of a country mansion - faced in Cotswold limestone, with square corner towers topped with stone urns and pairs of round-arched windows. Inside, cast iron columns support transverse beams bearing brick vaults. Bliss Mill produced fine quality tweed cloth - much in demand in the late-Victorian and Edwardian eras. At one time, it 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 then converted into luxury apartments some eight years later. Its residents now have the use of extensive grounds and 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: 2533px × 3800px
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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