- Marshall's Mill
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Marshall's Mill
Marshall's Mill is a former flax spinning mill on Marshall Street in Holbeck, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.Marshall's Mill was part of a complex begun in 1791-92 by English industrial pioneer John Marshall. It was a six storey mill, drawing water from the nearby Hol Beck, with machines supplanting Yorkshire's previous cottage industry of hand driven spindles.
In the early years, child labour was employed. In 1832 Marshall's political opponents alleged that:
In Mr Marshall's mill, a boy of 9 years of age was stripped to the skin, bound to an iron pillar, and mercilessly beaten with straps, until he fainted.[1]
Later, together with the adjacent Egyptian-style Temple Works, the complex employed over 2,000 factory workers. When it was completed it was considered to be one of the largest factories in the world, with 7,000 steam-powered spindles.
Marshall's Mill is now a grade II* listed building.
The site was comprehensively redeveloped in the late 1990s. It is now used as office space for several companies, including Orange. There are plans to further redevelop the site as part of Holbeck Urban Village.
References
- ^ Thompson, EP: "The Making of the English Working Class", page 906. Penguin, 1991.
External links
Categories:- Grade II* listed buildings in West Yorkshire
- Buildings and structures in Leeds
- Listed buildings in Leeds
- History of the textile industry
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