Step back in time for schoolchildren

Children at a Keighley primary school enjoyed an insider’s view of Dalton Mills and it’s history, as part of their school heritage trail last week.

The pupils at Parkwood School, and two of their teachers, were given a guided tour of the mill by Magna Holdings, the developers behind the regeneration of Dalton Mills.

The children saw a specially compiled film, by Jack Croft, the mill’s caretaker, about Dalton Mills when it was still the largest working mill in Keighley. Linda Cook and Digby Lovel from Magna also put together a quiz about the mill, which the children took after their tour.

Stephen Kennedy from Autoprint, and Michael Mitchell from Pyramid Pollution Prevention, current tenants at Dalton Mills, showed the pupils around their premises and told them about their businesses so they could see the work that takes place at Dalton Mills nowadays.

Mr Hanson, one of the teachers on the trip said: “All agreed, the afternoon had been a highlight of the school heritage trail and no doubt the children will remember their visit for a long time to come. For me it was also special, as for a time in the early seventies, I lived in the coach house next to the mill and often wondered what the mill was like inside.”

Linda Cook from Magna Holdings said: “It was a pleasure to meet the pupils at Parkwood school and we had a fun day showing them around the mill. Dalton Mills is such a significant part of Keighley’s history, and it’s fantastic that local schools are taking an interest in it’s heritage.”

Magna Holdings is also hoping to participate in next year’s school challenge, where pupils from local schools including Park Wood will build sets from films, which have been made in the local area as part of the Keighley Festival. The firm is offering the exhibition space in the Tower Mill at Dalton Mills so local schools can reproduce sets from Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South or Fairy Tale – a True Story which were both filmed locally.

High quality, affordable office space and workshop space in Bradford is still available in Dalton Mills. For more information, please see here or register your interest here.