Providence Mill

Firstly, thanks to all of you that popped by to wish me well on my 5ooth blip yesterday. Your warm words have been appreciated as always.

Now it's time for #501.

Today's prompt word in the Bradford Photo a Day Challenge is "Mill". We have a fair few mills in the city, but I've selected one from the walk across to campus from the station. Providence Mill was an early spinning mill, built in the nineteenth century.

Providence Mill is on the opposite side of the road from the former home of Thunderbird 9, which was demolished a month ago as part of the ongoing clearance of the Thompson's Mill site, which was the scene of a fire last October. The clearance of the site extended well beyond the fire affected building, in what seems an opportunistic move. To illustrate this, here is an image from a couple of weeks after the fire, which shows the mill buildings backing on to Tetley Street intact, including the distinctive truncated chimney. Compare this to today, where viewed from the Sunbridge Road side you can see that the site has been completely levelled, apart from what remains of the Mollitt Mill facing onto Thornton Road.

Perhaps the most poignant loss of all has been the heritage plaque which recorded that this was the site of an historic mill. The wall it was attached to (on Sunbridge Road), and presumably the plaque too has been chewed up and bulldozed.

I have a photo set of the Thompson's Mill site from before the fire, through to today.

Providence Mill at one point had planning permission to be converted into apartments, but as with much of the property in Goitside, there is little sign of development. If the Bradford pattern is to be followed, it's probably next in line for a mysterious fire.