Reflections on proud British industrial heritage at Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, UK: the mansion -style facade and chimney tower of the former Bliss Tweed Mill, mirrored in a peaceful lake amid gardens landscaped for leaseholders of its luxury apartments. The tower bears the mill’s 1872 construction date below a ribbed dome and a soaring chimney that vented smoke from the furnace boiling water for its steam powered machinery.
Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, UK: a reflection of Britain’s proud industrial history and heritage - the former Bliss Tweed Mill mirrored in a calm lake in gardens landscaped for the owners of its luxury apartments. The mill once made top quality tweed cloth from Cotswold and Shetland wool as well as the cloth used to make khaki uniforms for British soldiers fighting in the 1914-18 First World War. The steam-powered mill was designed for Victorian textiles manufacturer William Bliss by Lancashire architect George Woodhouse. His plans paid tribute to the design of English stately homes, with the 5-storey spinning mill faced in Cotswold limestone and embellished with square corner towers topped by elegant balustrades and stone urns. The round clock tower is dated 1872, the year of construction, and is capped by a graceful ribbed dome sheathed in lead, which in turn supports a chimney that expelled smoke from the mill’s furnace. The wool spun here was woven into cloth in a lower, multi-gabled building nearby. High quality tweed cloth was in great demand in late-Victorian and Edwardian Britain and the mill employed up to 700 spinners, weavers and other workers. They went on strike over trade union rights just before the First World War, but the business then thrived thanks to large wartime orders to supply the British Army. Bliss Mill closed in 1980, but was later converted into upmarket accommodation. Its residents can now enjoy extensive landscaped grounds as well 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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